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  • OPINION

    Death, diamonds, Russia and Africa

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 06/08/2018

    » The murder of three Russian journalists last week in a remote area of the Central African Republic, the world's poorest country according to the World Bank, has turned a spotlight on what looks like a big Kremlin play for influence and resources in Africa. Where China has spent decades and billions of dollars trying to entrench itself there, Russia is offering its brute force and strong appetite for risk. It's already making headway.

  • OPINION

    The new Saudi Arabian heir is a dangerous man

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 23/06/2017

    » The abrupt change in Saudi Arabia's line of royal succession will probably help maintain the House of Saud's sway over its 31 million people, 70% of whom are under 30. It is, however, a dangerous move in the context of a new Big Game unfolding in the Middle East, which involves the US, Russia and local players.

  • OPINION

    The key to tackling North Korea is Vladimir Putin

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 19/05/2017

    » The idea of a grand bargain between the United States and Russia is less popular in Washington than ever before. And yet one of the biggest foreign policy problems for the US -- that of North Korea -- cannot be resolved without Russia's participation. In recent years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made sure to rebuild a close relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and it's no longer enough to talk to China to mitigate the Stalinist state's aggressiveness.

  • OPINION

    Don't rush to judge in war crimes -- the truth will out

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 19/04/2017

    » Something is wrong with the standard of proof we're willing to accept for extremely serious accusations. There's a cost to credibility and a need to weigh available evidence calmly before approving or criticising potentially deadly government action.

  • OPINION

    Putin sees himself as world's 'chess grandmaster'

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 09/01/2017

    » Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a roll. The catalog of his alarming moves is well-known: aggression in Ukraine, interference in Syria on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, stepped-up intelligence efforts that may include a hybrid operation to discredit Hillary Clinton, a slick, prolific propaganda machine, support for nationalist and populist movements in Europe. But why is Mr Putin doing all this?

  • OPINION

    Deeper malicious intent seen in 'public' cyberwar

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 16/01/2017

    » Compared with the alleged Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other US targets, another important cyber theft that has also been tentatively attributed to Russia is getting far less attention. The revelations are much less titillating than those that have made headlines recently -- they aren't even understandable to most people -- but they may be part of the same cyberwar, one whose rules seem to be changing.

  • OPINION

    Don't trust Putin's troop pullback

    News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 16/03/2016

    » President Vladimir Putin's unexpected announcement that Russian troops would pull back from Syria shouldn't be taken at face value: he's made similar announcements in the past to show Western negotiating partners how constructive he can be. He always has a hidden agenda.

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