Sunday, March 30, 2014

That Was the Week in Ukraine: Mafias, Kidnappings, Murders, a Strangelove Summit, Military Options, and the Maidan Murderers Exposed

Screen shot from some of the extraordinary video posted on the BBC Ukraine Crisis timeline.
  • Hitting Russians Where It Hurts
    by James Kirchick March 26, 2014 03:25 PM EDT
    Estonia’s president says go after the Kremlin’s banks like you’d go after a terrorist’s, question the legitimacy of Russian passports, and never doubt Putin’s taste for territory.

  • The Strangelove Summit
    by Christopher Dickey, Jamie Dettmer March 25, 2014 01:30 PM EDT
    More than 50 world leaders assembled in The Hague this week to address nuclear security—and grapple with new threats posed by nuclear Russia.

  • Kidnapped in Crimea
    by Anna Nemtsova March 24, 2014 05:45 AM EDT
    They thought they could reason with the people of the breakaway region, but after mock executions and threats of mutilation, they felt lucky to get out alive.

  • The Mafia Ruling Ukraine’s Mobs
    by Jamie Dettmer March 23, 2014 12:00 AM EDT
    Organized crime helped Putin grab Crimea, and may open the way for him to take more of Russian-speaking Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia's Comic Book Fatwa


Saudi Arabia’s Comic Book Fatwa, 28 March 2014
The president should confront Saudi leaders over the ludicrous fatwa against ‘The 99,’ a ground-breaking Muslim superhero comic.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/28/president-obama-s-got-99-problems-with-saudi-arabia.html


Audio on PRI's The World: A Saudi fatwa shuns the first comic book to feature Muslim superheroes
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-03-28/saudi-fatwa-shuns-first-comic-book-feature-muslim-superheroes

Monday, March 24, 2014

Anna Nemtsova: Ukrainian Women Kidnapped by Russians in Crimea Tell Their Tale





The latest from Anna Nemtsova:


WORLD NEWS

 
03.24.14

Ukrainian Women Kidnapped by Russians in Crimea Tell Their Tale


Two young women talk about their abduction and brutalization at the hands of Russia’s thugs in what used to be Ukraine

Thursday, March 20, 2014

MH370: They're Looking, Truly, In the Middle of Nowhere

Our map accompanying Lennox Samuels' Daily Beast story pretty much tells the tale. You have to zoom out by 13 clicks before you spot the first hint of land ....



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Why Putin Did It



The Daily Beast: Why Putin Did It, 18 March 2014
By Christopher Dickey
The Russian president’s speech about annexing Crimea is really about winning back the pride lost when the Berlin Wall fell.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/18/why-putin-did-it.html

Monday, March 17, 2014

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Eli Lake, Anna Nemtsova and Jamie Dettmer report on the Spetsnaz Role in Ukraine


An announcement, and my latest article: US Spy Satellites Ride Russian Rockets

I am pleased to report that as of Monday my title changes to Foreign Editor of The Daily Beast. I will continue to divide my time between Paris and New York, with frequent travel to the Middle East and elsewhere around the world.

My latest story:

The Daily Beast: U.S. Spy Satellites Riding Russian Rockets into Space, 15 March 2014
The space-launch business shows just how difficult it is to make sense of sanctions aimed at Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/14/u-s-spy-satellites-riding-russian-rockets-into-space.html

My most recent appearance on NPR:

Freelance In Africa: A Young Reporter’s Story
We go to Congo with a young journalist who lived and reported there and look at how we get our foreign news today.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/03/12/congo-stringer-foreign-affairs-media

Monday, March 03, 2014

Ukraine: What Does NATO Do Next? ... and... Why Do We Keep Getting Putin Wrong?

The Daily Beast: Crimea Is Gone—What Does NATO Do Next?, 2 March 2014
On the centenary of World War I, Europe's suddenly facing a crisis of Russian aggression. Why NATO must make a show of strength and reassure its Eastern members.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/02/crimea-is-gone-what-does-nato-do-next.html

The Daily Beast: Ex- CIA Chief: Why We Keep Getting Putin Wrong, 2 March 2014
with Eli Lake and Noah Schactman
Blame a myopic mindset—and an intelligence corps focused on terrorism, not Moscow.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/02/ex-cia-chief-why-we-get-putin-wrong.html

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Did You See the Ukraine Invasion Coming? Neither Did the US Intel Community

The Daily Beast: U.S. Spies Said No Russian Invasion of Ukraine—Putin Disagreed, 28 February 2014
A day after U.S. intelligence said there would be no Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s troops started coming over the border.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/28/u-s-spies-said-no-invasion-putin-disagreed.html

The Daily Beast: Putin’s Shadow Shock Troops Roil Ukraine, 28 February 2014
Vladimir Putin draws on his background as a master spy, testing and teasing the new regime in Kiev and its backers in Washington.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/28/putin-s-shadow-shock-troops-roil-ukraine.html

My 26 February 2014 appearance on Al Jazeera America: Putin probably will not respect Ukrainian territory and the West will be hard pressed to meet the challenge

Newsmakers: Christopher Dickey and Mark Coatney - 3/4/2014 - New York University - SCPS

Newsmakers: Christopher Dickey and Mark Coatney - 3/4/2014 - New York University - SCPS