Russia

Window on Eurasia: Russia’s Future Could Easily Be like China’s Past, Modernization Expert Says

Paul Goble

Staunton, December 1 – The Russian Federation is unlikely to be dismembered or partially absorbed by other countries, an expert on modernization says, but it could lose its economic sovereignty in much the same way that 19th century China did, a country that was not colonized but rather subject to unequal treaties in which foreigners had extraterritorial rights.

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Poland, Russia

Leaked Cables Reveal Putin’s Successful Attempt to Manipulate Gates and Obama

While U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates claims Russian Prime Minister Putin had told him Iran was Russia’s greater threat, in a meeting with American security experts, Evgeny Zudin of the Russian Ministry of Defense gave detailed presentations on the Russian assessment of the Iranian and North Korean missile programs, and the degree to which Russia believes these programs constitute threats requiring missile defense responses. Evgeny Zudin said that for Russia, the bottom line is that, in essence, neither program constitutes a threat at the moment or in the near future.

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Poland, Public Diplomacy, Russia

Leaked State Department Cables Show Obama and Gates Naive on Russia

by Ted Lipien

Opinia.USOpinia.US Truckee, CA, November 29, 2010 — Leaked secret State Department cables may help to resolve the mystery as to why President Obama chose September 17, 2009 to make his announcement on canceling President Bush’s missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. The announcement pleased the Kremlin, which had been pushing for the cancellation of the planned system for years. But why the Obama White House made the announcement on September 17, the anniversary of the Soviet military invasion of Poland in 1939 under the secret terms of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, is still not clear.

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Audio, Cold War, Glos Ameryki, International Broadcasting, Photo, Poland, Public Diplomacy, Radio, Religion, VOA

“Hunger for God and Love” – Interview with Cardinal Karol Wojtyła

The radio interview, recorded and first broadcast by the Voice of America (VOA) in 1976, was rebroadcast by VOA’s Polish Service on October 16, 1978, after the news of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła’s election as the new pope had been announced at the Vatican. Today is the 32 anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II.

Short Version

Full Version

Listen to excerpt (in Polish) of 1976 Voice of America (VOA ) interview with Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Ted Lipien talked with future Pope John Paul II in Washington, DC.

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BBG Chairman makes news by calling Russia’s and China’s official media America’s ‘enemies’; former BBG member gets praise on Capital Hill

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson, recently placed by President Obama in the job of managing U.S. international broadcasting, made news this week by naming China’s and Russia’s official media as America’s “enemies,” alongside state media in Iran and Venezuela. He used such strong language while calling for more money for his federal agency to combat foreign…

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Armenian journalist appeals to Obama to protect rights of foreign journalists at U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Armenian journalist Anna Karapetian (photo) has written a letter to President Obama asking him to protect the rights of foreign journalists employed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is managed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and funded by U.S. Congress. IT’S THE MORALITY, STUPID a commentary by Lev Roitman Evidently, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) bureaucrats (President…

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BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson: America’s Voice Must Be Credible And Must Be Heard | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) press release: Walter Isaacson: America’s Voice Must Be Credible And Must Be Heard September 29, 2010 (Washington, DC) Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson tonight announced a new direction for U.S. international broadcasting that “seizes on the latest media tools and technology to stay one step ahead of those who seek to repress…

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