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Kazimierz Woycicki, a specialist on Eastern Europe at the University of Warsaw, says that there are six possible scenarios for Russia’s future. From Moscow’s perspective, four are disastrous; and two are more hopeful although apparently in the Polish scholar’s view less likely. The four negative scenarios, he suggests, include “the territorial disintegration of the Russian Federation,” “the gradual but peaceful falling apart of Russia,” “the Balkanization of Russia,” and “the fall of Russia under the influence of China” (k-politika.ru/mrachnye-prognozy-v-polshe-raspisali-shest-scenariev-budushhego-rossii). The two more positive ones at least from the perspective of the Russian leadership at the present time, Woycicki argues, are...

While it is impossible to know the day or hour of the Rapture of the Church (Mark 13:32), it is however, possible to recognize the season of His return and our subsequent deliverance (1st Thess. 5:1-3, Hebrews 10:25). For those who would assert our ability to even wonder when Christ could return as soft date setting, just remember that Christ chastised the Pharisees’ and Sadducees, as well as the city of Jerusalem, for not recognizing the season of their visitation (Matt. 16:1-4, 19:43-44). We are to be actively watching and waiting for the Lord’s soon return (Luke 12:37). This does...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration insisted on Thursday that it is modernizing the nation's nuclear arsenal in the face of withering criticism from Republicans that it is moving slowly in anticipation of President Barack Obama's push for further reductions. Officials from the Energy, Defense and State departments provided the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with an update on the implementation of the U.S.-Russian pact, commonly known as the New START treaty, reducing both sides' nuclear warhead limit to 1,550.

WASHINGTON — President Obama promised Thursday to spend $80 billion over 10 years to maintain and modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal, a commitment that could help win Republican support for his new arms control treaty with Russia. The plan expands a previous proposal by Mr. Obama to upgrade nuclear infrastructure and was sent to the Senate along with the treaty and accompanying protocol and annexes. Mr. Obama called President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia as he kicked off his campaign to win Senate consent for the treaty. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will begin hearings next week, starting Tuesday with...

The majority of Russians remain dissatisfied with the progress of democratization in Russia, a new poll has found. The Moscow Times reports that 62 percent of people recently polled in an All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre survey answered that they are “dissatisfied with the development of democracy in Russia.” This number, however, is down marginally from the 73 percent who were dissatisfied with domestic conditions twenty years ago. Meanwhile, those who believe the country is showing progress are largely supporters of the ruling "United Russia" party, are under 45 years of age, and generally active Internet users. [Editors’ Note: Given...

NOTE The following text is a quote: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-obama-and-president-medvedev-russia-us-russia-business-summit Home • Briefing Room • Speeches & Remarks The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release June 24, 2010 Remarks by President Obama and President Medvedev of Russia at the U.S.-Russia Business Summit U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 3:08 P.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, good afternoon, everybody. It is a pleasure to be here with my friend and partner, President Medvedev, and I want to thank him again for his leadership, especially his vision for an innovative Russia that’s modernizing its economy, including deeper economic ties between our...

Roadkill on the Information Superhighway by: Deborah Lambert, March 30, 2009 Charlotte Allen reminded readers on mindingthecampus.com that when you hear the words “for the 21st century” in conjunction with an educational topic, “you know it’s time to run for cover.” Here’s why: During a recent conference of English teachers in San Francisco, a report released by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) suggested that teachers should “quit emphasizing essays and formal papers” . . .and “bring 21st-century writing habits into the classroom.” Allen noted that as recently as five years ago, this would have meant “blogging, e-mailing,...

Photos by "Beobuild" The biggest shopping mall in the Balkans and the latest consumer hotspot will be opened in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on 31 March 2009, regardless of the economic crisis or anything else, for that matter. The Usce Shopping Center investment is worth 150 million euros. The investor is MPC Properties. The shopping mall will take 130,000 square meters of space, of which commercial space will be 50,000 square meters. The hyper-market will take 4,000 square meters of space; there will be 150 brand stores, with many familiar brands, but also with about 50 world brands that...

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2009 – The Coast Guard is used to being in high demand, overworked and underequipped, but the pursuit to modernize in the midst of fiscal ambiguity is the real challenge, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad W. Allen said yesterday. “The fact that demand for Coast Guard services exceeds our capacity has always been the case,” Allen said during his State of the Coast Guard address at the National Press Center here. “But as the nation faces fiscal uncertainty, we'll have to make difficult financial choices and manage resources to buy down risk in the most critical areas.”...

Faced with huge unfunded bills for a war-torn Army with declining readiness levels, House defense authorizers are planning to slash significant funds from some of the Army’s modernization programs to balance current and future needs. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Air and Land Forces Armed Services subcommittee, yesterday recommended a cut of $867 million from the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS), a contract awarded to an industry team of Boeing and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The ambitious, $160 billion FCS program is a collection of manned and unmanned vehicles and aircraft linked by a command-and-control network. But...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2007 – President Bush’s fiscal 2008 budget request seeks to pump more money into the development of future capabilities that will support America’s warfighters. Strategic modernization of the force accounts for 38 percent, or $176.8 billion, of the $481.4 billion defense budget request the president submitted to Congress today. The budget request reflects an overall $49 billion increase over fiscal 2007, and developing future capabilities accounts for 18 percent, or $8.8 billion, of that increase. Within the strategic modernization arena, procurement accounts for roughly $101.7 billion and research, development, testing and evaluation takes the rest, at...

RAWALPINDI, Feb 3: There is no conflict between Islam and modernization as the religion has an inherent mechanism to adapt to the changing times, says President Pervez Musharraf. He was talking to representatives of electronic media at his camp office here on Friday. “However, there is a clash between Westernisation and Islamic traditions, that move in opposite directions and there is a need to differentiate between the two (concepts),” he said. The president said modernisation and westernisation were two different concepts altogether, but the two were being confused. He said the West believed that an enlightened society was Westernised, while...

An anti-globalization group called “Anti-Marketing” defines globalization as “the process of exploiting economically weak countries by connecting the economies of the world, forcing dependence on (and ultimately servitude to) the western capitalist machine.” While this formulation may sound extreme, the same basic, perverted understanding of globalization has poisoned the minds of many. In a world of scarcity, the most advanced societies have the most internationally connected economies. This has always been true. In ancient northern African nations, the Greco-Roman world, and later in the Netherlands, Britain, Spain, and the United States, nations that traded widely were nations that prospered. Trading...

Like Mark Twain's death, the demise of the tank has been "greatly exaggerated." A weekend conversation with my World War II and Korea vet father spurs this column. Dad had seen a short video I shot in Iraq that featured my staff section racing down Baghdad's "Route Irish" in an unarmored SUV. Dad asked about the handling characteristics of SUVs and Humvees with "add-on" armor -- light vehicles that weren't designed to carry the extra weight. He then compared what I told him about steel plates and Kevlar panels to a Korean War "armor upgrade" to counter land mines: sandbags...

  China’s economy is a stunted giantPeter ZhangBrookesNews.ComMonday 21 March 2005 Many American conservatives pay a great deal of attention to China’s military ambitions and potential — and so they should. But to do so while ignoring China’s economic situation is to show poor judgement. Beijing fully understands, even if most of these conservatives do not, that to successfully wage full-scale war against a highly advanced economy requires an economy at a similar stage of development. When several years ago Jiang Zemin stated that we “should focus our limited funds on cutting-edge areas of military science and technology” he certainly...

A report prepared by energy economists at the French investment bank Ixis-CIB has warned crude oil prices could touch $380 a barrel by 2015. Analysts Patrick Artus and Moncef Kaabi said in the next 10 years demand for oil will outstrip supply by around 8 million barrels per day (mbpd). "If one takes into account the level of previous oil shocks such as in the 1970's, we don't think a price level of $380 per barrel is out of the question," they said. The analysts argued that the shortfall in energy needs would not be made up by alternatives as...

Pentagon official: China not a future challenge but 'a problem here and now' East-Asia-Intel.com, April 19, 2005 A senior Pentagon official told Congress last week that China's military power is growing. "We have watched as China's armed forces have progressed rapidly," said Peter Rodman, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs. Peter Rodman, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs U.S. Department of Defense Rodman noted that the threat from China is not only a future challenge but "a problem here and now." Double-digit percentage rate increases in military spending for the past 15 have sped up China's military buildup, Rodman...

SAVING THE U.S. AIR FORCE By RALPH PETERS February 11, 2005 -- We need to save the United States Air Force — from itself. This critical component of our national security has become corrupt, wasteful and increasingly irrelevant. The problem doesn't lie with the front-line pilots or ground crews. The cancer is at the top, in the Department of the Air Force and on the Air Force Staff. Consider just a few recent problems: Former Air Force Secretary James G. Roche, who resigned last month to evade a corruption investigation, has just been cited for ethics violations in dealing with...

Most of the punditry got it right about GW’s second inaugural address: it was a monumental speech that prescribed a major shift in our foreign policy and national security posture. Not only was it a true description of the dangerous world we live in, it also established the framework for our military operations in the years to come. Some analysts have examined the implications of the speech for our armed forces and their roles and responsibilities in ensuring freedom and promotion of democracy around the world. But they lose sight of the historical context of how this changes our strategic...

People from all walks of life keep asking me the same question: “Are there moderate Muslims?” I know myself that there are, but… Many of the moderates are faced with intimidation by militant Muslims (“Islamists”). Muslims also have to contend with their own old cultural habits, hateful religious leaders, a bigoted press, and schools that teach hatred and homicide bombings. As usual, just as things seem the darkest, I happen upon something that brightens my spirit -- at least a little. Last week, FOXNews mentioned the organization “Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism” (FMCAT). I immediately went to their website, and...