Free Republic

Small, kayak-shaped boats fitted with cameras, tracking devices and jet-ski motors were employed to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Crimean port of Sevastopol over the weekend. It led to Moscow’s withdrawal from a landmark grain shipment deal, followed by a humiliating re-entry in a dramatic display of low-tech ingenuity, scuttling Russian naval might. The mother of all metaphorical storms hit Russia’s operations in the Black Sea over the past few days, with giant waves thrashing Moscow’s military and economic interests, smashing its bargaining chips, and undermining its diplomatic standing on the world stage. Much of the latest...

US President Donald Trump’s pullout from the Iran nuclear deal has put Europe under pressure to salvage the 2015 multilateral agreement. But does the EU have what it takes to stand up to US sanctions? The day after Trump announced his long-dreaded decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, EU members were hammering out measures to try to protect European firms doing business in Iran from US sanctions. The JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) – as the Iran deal is formally known – was signed between Iran, the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the EU....