Archive for August, 2008
Is Putin a Closet Republican?
By Sean at 31 August, 2008, 8:57 am
If Putin was an American politician, what would he be? He is conservative, deeply religious, a patriot, and strong partisan for Russian traditions.
Given this, I doubt we would have seen Putin strutting about on the DNC’s American Idol-esque stage, swearing his undying, almost cultic allegiance to Barak Obama. It’s more likely we would find him [...]
Ossetian Numbers Game
By Sean at 30 August, 2008, 6:10 pm
How many Ossetians died as the result of Georgia’s attack? The numbers have been a constant point of speculation over the last two weeks. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Russia claimed 1,600-2,000 deaths. By 21 August the Financial Times was reporting that the Russians could only confirm 133 civilian deaths, though Boris Salmakov [...]
Read More >>Vesti Translates Fox News
By Sean at 30 August, 2008, 4:58 pm
Here is how the Fox News interview with that American-Ossetian girl and her aunt is being reported in the Russian news. I think even non-Russian speakers will get a sense of the hatchet job done on this just from the translator’s tone and coughing. If Vesti really wants to get schooled in propaganda production, they [...]
Read More >>Satellite Images Show Ossetian Wrath
By Sean at 29 August, 2008, 2:39 pm
Today, Human Rights Watch released more evidence of what it calls “the widespread torching of ethnic Georgian villages inside South Ossetia.” According to satellite images provided by UNOSAT, the torching of five Georgian villages, Tamarasheni, Kekhvi, Kvemo Achabeti (Nizhnie Achaveti in Russian), Zemo Achabeti (Verkhnie Achaveti in Russian), and Kurta, occurred on August 10, 12, [...]
Read More >>Cold War II as Comfortable Shoes
By Sean at 29 August, 2008, 8:41 am
A colleague sent me this cartoon from the 1 September issue of the New Yorker. It’s quite an appropriate addendum to “Loving Cold War II.”
Read More >>Putin on CNN
By Sean at 28 August, 2008, 1:39 pm
So far it’s just a short clip . Hopefully, CNN will make the whole interview available. But this clip contains what everyone is talking about. Namely, Putin’s suggestion that the Bush Administration provoked this war to help John McCain. I think Putin made a big PR blunder. His words will be sent through the American [...]
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