Pat Condell: A Society of Cowards

We're getting what we deserve.

Worlds Apart: 'US Thinks Rules Are for Inferior Nations, It's In Their DNA' – Ex-Australian PM

Kosovo's secession demonstrated that international law is only as applicable as the force used to back it. But with Crimea now free on the wings of that precedent, the West cries foul. Why does the Western world fail to recognize parallels between Kosovo and Crimea? Is it a case of double standards or the result of decades of adversarial EU and NATO policies towards Russia? Oksana is joined by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to canvass these issues.

THE GUARDIAN: Ukraine: there's no way out unless the west understands its past mistakes: Western leaders mostly paint the whole dispute as totally one-sided: it is all Russia’s fault. But the Crimea crisis is directly related to the misguided steps taken after the Soviet Union’s fall » | Malcolm Fraser | Monday, March 03, 2014

THE WASHINGTON POST: How the Ukraine crisis ends » | Henry A. Kissinger | Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Obama Imposes New Sanctions, Warns Russia Against Further Escalation

LOS ANGELES TIMES: WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday announced new economic sanctions against Russian government officials, influential individuals and a Russian bank, threatening to come back with tougher penalties if Moscow does not deescalate the crisis in Ukraine.

“Further escalation will only isolate it further from the international community,” Obama said in remarks on the South Lawn of the White House. The U.S. is concerned that "Russia has positioned its military" in a threatening way, he added.

The president said the new sanctions would target additional senior Russian government officials, other individuals with "substantial resources and influence," and a bank. He also signed an executive order that would allow him to slap broader sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy, a move that “is not our preferred outcome,” Obama said, acknowledging that such sanctions could be “disruptive” to the global economy. » | Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons | Thursday, March 20, 2014

You'll Never Guess Who Loves Putin

Vladimir Putin is getting all sorts of love from America. Republican hawks have been impressed with the Russian autocrat's machismo, while social conservatives can't help but tip their hat to his anti-gay policies. The latter category welcomed the evangelist Franklin Graham to its ranks this month. Graham, the son of Rev. Billy Graham, praised Putin...* What do other right wingers including Pat Buchanan have to say about this (versus what they have to say about President Obama)? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

'Abby Can Criticise But Cenk Uygur Lost His Job': Martin & A Young Turk

Host and founder of the Young Turks, Cenk Uygur, discussing why he left his job at MSNBC, the corporate media's superficial coverage of news events and the recipe for success in alternative media.

The Young Turks »

Nirgends ist die EU so russisch wie in Lettland

Nach dem politischen Anschluss der Krim baut Russland seine militärische Kontrolle über die Halbinsel aus. Nicht nur in der Ukraine, auch in anderen Staaten der ehemaligen Sowjetunion mit grossen russischen Minderheiten verfolgt man die Vorgänge auf der Krim intensiv. Zum Beispiel in der zweitgrössten Stadt Lettlands, in Daugavpils.

G8 stellen Russland aufs Abstellgleis

Klare Worte Richtung Moskau: Merkel sieht Russland gegenwärtig nicht mehr im Kreis der Top-Wirtschaftsnationen. Die sieben westlichen Industriestaaten dürften bald über einen Ausschluss entscheiden.

Nur eine einzige Stimme gegen Krim-Annexion

TAGES ANZEIGER: Das Parlament in Moskau hat mit überwältigender Mehrheit den Weg für die Aufnahme der Krim in die Russische Föderation freigemacht. Die Ukraine hat die Halbinsel aber noch nicht aufgegeben.

Das Unterhaus des russischen Parlaments hat heute erwartungsgemäss den Vertrag über die Aufnahme der Krim in die Russische Föderation ratifiziert. Das Abkommen wurde mit 443 Ja- und einer einzigen Nein-Stimme angenommen. Um wen es sich beim Nein-Sager handelte, ist gegenwärtig noch unklar. » | Donnerstag, 20. März 2014

Jihad: British Fighters in Syria Urge Others to Join Them

THE INDEPENDENT: Rebel group Isis have released a video urging British citizens' participation

A British citizen fighting with an extremist rebel group in Syria has issued a call for others to join the country’s civil war.

In a video posted online, a masked man speaking in a London accent says that “the doors of jihad are still open,” and claims that he has helped three other Brits make the journey to Syria.

The man is believed to be a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) – an extremist Islamist rebel group formerly affiliated with al-Qa’ida and similar in ideology. He has appeared in several other videos uploaded by a group called Rayat al-Tawheed, which claims to be the distributor of English-language materials for Isis.

The plea from the rebel fighter comes as UK authorities are becoming increasingly concerned at the number of British citizens travelling to Syria to join extremist groups in the three year old civil war. British and other non-Syrians travelling to Syria tend to gravitate towards al-Qa’ida-type groups that espouse global jihad. » | Richard Hall | Thursday, March 20, 2014

Angela Merkel: EU Prepared to Punish Russia with Sanctions over Ukraine

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, tells German MPs that members of G7 will take economic sanctions against Russia during the EU summit which starts on Thursday. Leaders will discuss imposing travel restrictions on Moscow as well as the future of its relationship with Europe

Václav Klaus on Barack Obama, America

Václav Klaus, former Premier of the Czech Republic

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president." – Václav Klaus, the former Premier of the Czech Republic [Source: Snopes.com] 2012

Russia Warns West It May Change Stance on Iran, in Retaliation over Sanctions

FOX NEWS: Russia reportedly is prepared to change its stand on Iran nuclear talks in a high-stakes gamble to counter expanded sanctions by the United States and the European Union over Crimea.

After the Obama administration on Monday hit 11 Russian and Ukrainian officials with sanctions -- a move criticized by Republican lawmakers as too timid -- Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted Wednesday by the Interfax news agency as saying the country may have to alter its position on the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

The statement is the most serious threat of retaliation by Moscow since the disputed Crimea region voted to join Russia over the weekend, and Vladimir Putin's government moved to annex the peninsula.

NATO and U.S. leaders say they're prepared to do more. (+ FoxNews video) » | FoxNews with contributions from the Associated Press | Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Yves Saint Laurent: Fashion on Film

Yves St Laurent was the original superstar designer

BBC: Yves Saint Laurent became head of one of the world's great fashion houses aged 21. Until his death half a century later in 2008, he was one of fashion's dominant figures. This year sees the release of two feature films about his tumultuous professional and private life. The first opens this week in the UK.

Earlier masters of Parisian couture such as Christian Dior or Cristobal Balenciaga shaped fashion around the world. But until Yves Saint Laurent, no designer found such personal fame with the public.

In the 1960s and 1970s he was a regular in gossip columns, photographed endlessly with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Andy Warhol and the most gorgeous models of the day.

Born in colonial Algeria in 1936, Saint Laurent became an extraordinary prodigy.

Always obsessed with fashion, as a painfully shy teenager he moved to Paris to work for Dior. Three years later, Christian Dior died and Saint Laurent took over as artistic director at just 21. Many in the fashion world were astounded but it was clear a star had arrived. » | Vincent Dowd | Arts Correspondent | BBC World Service | Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Putin führt uns die Schwäche Europas vor Augen

DIE WELT: Die Machtpolitik Russlands trifft auf einen schwachen Westen, der unfähig ist, in Traditionen der Realpolitik zu denken. Auch die Geheimdienste haben Moskaus Griff nach der Krim nicht vorhergesehen.

Europa hat auf Russlands Krim-Coup so ungläubig reagiert, als hätte es eine simple Tatsache schlicht vergessen: die Tatsache, dass Verträge nur solange wirksam sind, wie beide Seiten das Recht anerkennen. Diese Übereinkunft hatte das Kräftespiel der Staaten schon immer bestimmt, zumindest aber mitgeprägt. Kants Idee vom ewigen Frieden ist ein Licht, das von weiter, weiter Ferne her leuchtet. Und so schön und zivilisierend rule of law, die Herrschaft des Gesetzes, auch ist – sie endet da, wo ein Mitspieler sich nicht mehr an sie gebunden fühlt. Europas Stärke ist zugleich seine Schwäche – die vergangenen Wochen haben das auf blamable Weise offenbart. » | Von Thomas Schmid | Mittwoch, 19. März 2014

Has President Obama Weakened US Standing in the World?

Mar. 19, 2014 - 3:53 - Rep. Louis Gohmert weighs in

Ticking Timebomb: Moscow Moves to Destabilize Eastern Ukraine

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: It's not only in Crimea where Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing with fire, but also in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the people in the economically powerful region speak Russian and reject the new government in Kiev.

The pensioner Oxana Kremenyuk limps as she passes by the House of Culture in a small village in eastern Ukraine. As a young woman, she used to dance here. Today the stucco is crumbling and the windows are broken. "The people in Kiev are driving our country into civil war," she says. "These good-for-nothings should be slaving away the way we do here." Kremenyuk receives a pension of about €90 ($125) a month. In order to ensure there is food on the table, she keeps 10 chickens and a pig.

Kremenyuk's village of Maidan, with its three dozen homes, is a peaceful place in a gentle, hilly landscape. The village is 378 kilometers (235 miles) -- but also worlds apart -- from the Maidan in the capital city of Kiev, the Independence Square that has become known around the world since the start of the revolution. Most of the village's homes have fallen into a state of disrepair and young families moved away long ago. The people living here don't think much of the revolution taking place in the western part of the country. Read on and comment » | Uwe Klussmann and Matthias Schepp | Translated from the German by Daryl Lindsey | Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Whose Side Is This Codger On? 'US Thinks It's Superior, Rules Only Apply to Inferior Nations' – Ex-Australian PM

The US has been accused of double standards for supporting Kosovo's secession while calling Crimea's illegal. We talked to former Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, to clarify the contradiction in the US/EU positions on secession.

Pro-Russia Forces Enter Ukraine Naval Base

Crimean "self-defence" forces overtake Sevastopol base without using violence and raise Russian flags at the gates.

America Is in Danger

Mar. 18, 2014 - 8:23 - Talking Points 3/18

US Power Failure: A Price of Obama's Failed Leadership?

Mar. 18, 2014 - 3:11 - Karl Rove on Mitt Romney's op-ed on the consequences of alleged Obama's missteps in handling of Putin and the Ukraine and other world crises

U.S. Warns Russia: More Sanctions Coming due to Ukraine Crisis

Read the CNN article here

Inside Story: Reclaiming Crimea: Is It Legal?

President Vladimir Putin signs a treaty making the Ukrainian region part of the Russian Federation.

David Cameron Sends Shivers Down Putin’s Spine: “There Will Be Consequences”

Russian Officials Mock US Sanctions

Mar. 18, 2014 - 4:56 - President Obama making US look weak?

Putin Has Stuck Two Fingers Up to the West by Annexing Crimea, Says Sir Malcolm Rifkind

Sir Malcolm Rifkind

DAILY EXPRESS: VLADIMIR Putin has given the West “two fingers” by his annexing of Crimea and needs to be hit with punitive economic sanctions, former Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has argued.

The Conservative grandee, who is chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said Russia was now treating the West with contempt and warned the situation is “the most dangerous we have faced.”

Today Foreign Secretary William Hague announced in the Commons that the EU was was ready to pursue trade and economic sanctions against Russia.

Sanctions announced by the EU and US so far have just focused on the assets and travel movements of a handful of Russian and Ukrainian officials – but this goes much further.

Speaking exclusively to Express Online, Sir Malcolm – who served as Foreign Secretary from 1995 to 1997 – welcomed the move after earlier arguing that the international community had so far been “pathetic in its response.”

He said: “The measures that have been announced by both the US and the EU have been treated, understandably in my view, with contempt by Russia.

"What is needed is financial economic sanctions. » | Owen Bennett | Political Editor | Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Saudi Cleric ‘Issues Religious Edict Banning against All-you-can-eat Buffets’

THE INDEPENDENT: Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan says open buffets involve paying lump sum for ‘unknown’ quality and quantity of goods – which goes against Sharia law

A senior cleric in Saudi Arabia has reportedly issued a religious edict, or fatwa, banning all-you-can-eat style buffets.

According to Sheik Saleh al-Fawzan, such restaurants breach Sharia law by requiring customers to pay a set price for a product that is unknown and unquantified in advance.

The cleric, who is a member of the country’s highest religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, announced the fatwa while appearing on the Saudi Arabia-based Quranic TV station, according to Al Arabiya news.

“Whoever enters the buffet and eats for 10 or 50 riyals without deciding the quantity they will eat is violating Sharia (Islamic) law,” Fawzan said. » | Adam Withnall | Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Libyen: Alltag in einem zerfallenden Land

Krim gehört zu Russland: Die Unterzeichnung des Vertrages

Die Schwarzmeerhalbinsel Krim und die Hafenstadt Sewastopol sollen neu zur Russischen Föderation gehören. Russlands Präsident Putin hat den Vertrag zusammen mit der pro-russischen Krim-Führung unterzeichnet. Die noch ausstehende Zustimmung des Parlaments gilt als sicher.

US-Vizepräsident Biden zur Krim-Annexion

Putin Approves Annexation of Crimea

Mar. 18, 2014 - 3:24 - Greg Palkot reports from Kiev, Ukraine

Putin Condemns Western Hypocrisy as He Confirms Annexation of Crimea

THE GUARDIAN: Russian president makes speech laced with bluster and anger at west, saying Russia has been 'cheated again and again'

Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Crimea on Tuesday in a searing speech to assembled political elites in Moscow shot through with angry rhetoric about western aggression and hypocrisy.

The Russian president summoned the federal assembly, which includes both houses of parliament and all key political leaders, for an extraordinary session in the Kremlin's St George Hall.

Putin delivered an hour-long speech laced with patriotic bluster and anger at the west, whose politicians he said "call something white today and black tomorrow".

He was frequently interrupted by applause and at the end of the speech signed documents together with the de facto leader of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov – who came to power after seizing the local parliament at gunpoint last month – to absorb the territory into Russia.

Putin recognised Crimea as an independent state late on Monday evening, making it easier to incorporate into the Russian Federation than if it were still Ukrainian territory. Kiev has said it will never give up its claim to Crimea, but is unable to respond to Russia militarily due to the huge disparity in their respective martial forces. » | Shaun Walker in Simferopol | Tuesday, March 16, 2014

Celente: Sanctions against Russia over Crimea Are Toothless

More than two dozen Russian and Crimean officials have been sanctioned with travel bans and asset freezes in the US and Europe. But, few seem to be happy with that. Lawmakers in Washington say it's not enough, while Russia's furious at being handed any sanctions at all, given the overwhelming show of support in Crimea. Gerald Celente, publisher of the Trends Journal says there was little choice in the restrictions placed on the officials.

Watters' World: Russians in America Edition

Mar. 17, 2014 - 3:47 - Watters heads to one of the largest Russian communities in the US

Russia TV Host: Russia Could Turn USA into Radioactive Ashes

A Russian TV host has threatened the United States with a nuclear strike in his news broadcast. The remarks made by Dmitry Kiselyov were broadcast at the same time as the polls closed in the disputed Crimean referendum about secession from Ukraine. With a picture of a nuclear explosion behind him and words "Into radioactive ashes" written across the screen, Kiselyov said: "Russia is the only country in the world that is really able to turn the USA into radioactive ashes. He also referenced an official Russian government article published in January and urged US officials to read it as it "very clearly explained in detail how our system of guaranteed nuclear revenge works. It is called 'Perimeter'. In the USA it was nicknamed 'Dead Hand'. Actually I advise you to read it." Kiselyov is seen as a loyalist of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been awarded a friendship medal and made the head of the Russia Today news agency. Report by Ashley Fudge.

THE INDEPENDENT: State television presenter warns Russia could 'turn the US into radioactive dust': TV presenter says Obama won't stop calling Putin and living in fear of the Russian president is making his hair go grey » | Maria Tadeo | Monday, March 17, 2014

Bolton: 'Embarrassing How Weak' Obama's Russia Sanctions Are

Mar. 17, 2014 - 6:20 - Former US ambassador to the UN sounds off on president's sanctions on Putin's inner circle over Crimea and questions about the politics of missing Malaysia plane's pilot

Diese Sanktionen beeindrucken Wladimir Putin sicher nicht

Wladimir Putin

DIE PRESSE: Die EU hat nach dem Anschluss-Referendum auf der Krim pflichtschuldig Strafmaßnahmen verhängt. Russland wird deshalb sein Verhalten nicht ändern.

Vielleicht ist ja schon erstaunlich, dass Europa irgendeinen Finger gegen Russland rührt. Doch bei Licht betrachtet sind die Sanktionen der EU ähnlich furchteinflößend wie eine paar aufblasbare Plastikkrokodile im Kinderschwimmbecken. Ob nun acht prorussische Krim-Führer und 13 zweitrangige Politiker aus Russland nach Europa reisen und dort auf, möglicherweise ohnehin inexistente, Konten zugreifen dürfen oder nicht, wird das Kalkül des russischen Präsidenten kaum verändern. Jedenfalls werden diese „Strafen“ Wladimir Putin nicht davon abhalten, den Anschluss der Krim an Russland zu vollziehen. Das war auch gar nicht mehr Ziel des Beschlusses der EU-Außenminister. Jean Asselborn, mitteilsamer Chefdiplomat Luxemburgs, hat die Wahrheit ausgesprochen: Der Status quo ante auf der Krim werde sich auch mit schärfsten Sanktionen nicht mehr herstellen lassen. » | Von Christian Ultsch | Die Presse | Print-Ausgabe | Dienstag, 18. März 2014

Die neue Eiszeit

Menschen feiern nach dem Referendum auf der Krim.

TAGES ANZEIGER: Die russisch-amerikanischen Beziehungen glichen zunehmend der Fahrt auf einer Achterbahn. Nach der russischen Annexion der Krim ist Schluss.

Wozu Wladimir Putin fähig ist, zeigte er schon 2008 beim Angriff auf Georgien. In Washington freilich erlosch selbst damals nicht die Hoffnung, der Mann in Moskau werde sich doch noch als verlässlicher Partner erweisen. Nach Putins gesetzlosem Vorgehen auf der Krim ist davon nichts geblieben: Washington sammelt die Scherben einer Politik ein, die niemals wirklich wusste, wer Wladimir Putin war und ist. Und je mehr sich der Russe als amerikanischer Buhmann empfiehlt und Erinnerungen wachruft an die Zeiten des Kalten Krieges, desto intensiver wird in der amerikanischen Hauptstadt seine psychische Befindlichkeit hinterfragt. » | Von Martin Kilian, Washington | Montag, 07. Müarz 2014

Independence from Rome! Venice Floating Away Unnoticed as Crimea Steals Show

While the Crimean referendum tops world media headlines, an attempt at secession is going on in Veneto, Italy, with its major city Venice. But as it is being virtually ignored by media, people in Europe are hardly aware of what's happening next door.

EU and US Impose Crimea Sanctions on Russia

Obama entraîné dans une nouvelle guerre froide

LE FIGARO: Bousculé par une agressivité qu'il était loin d'avoir anticipée, le président américain a durci le ton en annonçant « un élargissement des sanctions » à plusieurs membres du gouvernement russe.

Barack Obama avait rêvé d'une présidence centrée sur la reconstruction de la nation américaine. D'une politique de sécurité du «XXIe siècle» à «l'empreinte légère» qui mettrait l'accent sur la diplomatie. Mais le voilà forcé, bien malgré lui, de s'engager ainsi que ses alliés dans une confrontation avec la Russie qui commence à ressembler furieusement à une nouvelle guerre froide. » | Par Laure Mandeville | lundi 17 mars 2014

From a Country Which Has Just Legalised Marijuana, This BS!

Paris Car Ban Starts After Pollution Hits High

BBC: Hundreds of police are monitoring traffic in Paris after pollution levels prompted the French government to impose major restrictions.

Only motorists whose cars have odd-numbered registration plates are allowed to drive.

On Tuesday, if the restrictions remain in place, it will be the turn of those with even-numbered plates.

Ministers acted after air pollution exceeded safe levels for five days running in Paris and surrounding areas.

The smoggy conditions have been caused by a combination of cold nights and warm days, which have prevented pollution from dispersing. (+ BBC video) » | Monday, March 17, 2014

Putin erkennt Krim als souveränen Staat an

ZEIT ONLINE: Der nächste Schritt für einen Beitritt zu Russland ist getan: Präsident Putin hat die Halbinsel Krim trotz westlicher Warnungen als unabhängigen Staat anerkannt. » | Quelle: Zeit Online, dpa, AFP, Reuters, tis | Montag, 17. März 2014

Crimean Referendum: Mr Putin and the Threat of a New Cold War

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Through a series of interventions in civil liberties, Mr Putin is turning a soft autocracy into a highly repressive state

The referendum that took place in Crimea is both irrelevant and deeply significant. Irrelevant because it has no standing in the law of the country to which it applies, and because it took place while the autonomous region was under military occupation. International bodies are unlikely to recognise its outcome: the UN security council voted by 13-1 to condemn it on Saturday, with only Russia voting against. The referendum is significant, however, because it represents a giant step on the road to Russian annexation, and because it reveals a little more of the nature of that country's president, Vladimir Putin. » | Editorial | Sunday, March 16, 2014

Earthquake Strongly Felt Across Los Angeles

Mar. 17, 2014 - 1:55 - William La Jeunesse reports

Christian Values Under Attack At Home and Overseas?

Mar. 17, 2014 - 3:15 - Reaction from Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition

Will US Sanctions Deter Russian Expansion?

Mar. 17, 2014 - 3:15 - Michael Singh, managing director of The Washington Institute, weighs in