The full effect of Western sanctions is starting to be felt in Russia and officials in Vladimir Putin's government have been forced to admit the impact. Newsweek: "Alexei Kudrin, chairman of Russia's accounts chamber, a parliamentary financial body, said that preliminary estimates showed base rate inflation could reach as high as 20.7 percent in the 2022/2023 financial year." ... "This is a crisis that is bigger than the 2009 crisis, bigger than the pandemic crisis," Kudrin s

One of America's greatest advantages is that the world's best and brightest still want to come here to work, live and built new businesses. President Joe Biden wants to use that advantage to drain Russia of its top science talent by relaxing some visa requirements. New York Times: "An administration proposal sent to Capitol Hill as part of a larger package requesting $33 billion in spending on the war would suspend for four years the requirement that scientists applying for v

Tens of thousands of young, well-educated Russians are leaving the country to find freedom and better job opportunities in the European Union [EU], Israel, and neighboring nations like Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. The Economist: "Since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, tens of thousands of Russians have hurriedly left their homes, travelling to any nearby destination that will allow them in visa-free; one prominent economist estimated that at least 200,000 had fled b

As former President Donald Trump continues to praise Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for his "very savvy" invasion of Ukraine, it is hard not to think back to his first impeachment in 2019 by the US House of Representatives. The former President was impeached for withholding security aid authorized by Congress in order to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into pursuing bogus and politically motivated investigations that might have damaged Joe Biden’s White House bi

Vladimir Putin has massed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine's eastern border, threatening an invasion unless his demands are met, including a promise that Ukraine never join NATO. Some analysts see Putin's gambit as a show of Russia's increased military strength and determination to again hold sway in Eastern Europe. That's just part of the story. Putin's actions also demonstrate Russia's weakness relative to his European Union neighbors. Here's what's happening in Ukraine

Authoritarian leaders in Russia, Iran, and Nicaragua follow similar playbooks when it comes to winning elections; find some pretense to disqualify or arrest your most popular opponents. Elections then are mere formalities, something to add a bit of legitimacy to your dictatorship. Don't get me wrong, many other autocrats engage in similar perversions of democracy, but these three have made headlines recently with their efforts. Iran has a presidential election today, but the