Is civilian control of Russia’s nuclear arsenal at risk?

Posted by Matt in December 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Nuclear, Russia, Anatoly, Civilian Control, Control, Defense Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, Furniture Salesman, Military Policy, Money, Nuclear Arsenal, Risk, Russia, Russian Generals, Tax Man

Russian generals have long felt they should be the ones to set military policy. They have trouble accepting civilian authority — be it from President Dmitry Medvedev or Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. They derisively describe the minister as a former furniture salesman and tax man, yet Serdyukov knows where the brass keep their money.
Read More…

Trouble in Toyland: U.S. recession jolts China

Posted by Matt in December 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, China, Chinese Government, Chinese Workers, Closure, Economists, Financial Crisis, Global Financial Crisis, Hundreds Of Thousands, Jolts, Recession, Shutdowns, Toy Factories, Trouble In Toyland, Unrest, Violent Protests

Dwindling demand hastens closure of at least 3,600 factories, stirs unrest.
Declining U.S. orders already have contributed to the closure of at least 3,600 toy factories since the beginning of 2008, according to the Chinese government, leaving hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers suddenly out of work in this sector alone. Some of the shutdowns have [...]

Feeding the Russian Bear

Posted by Matt in December 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Energy, Europe, Russia, Baltic Sea, Economy, Energy Policy, Germany, moscow, Natural Gas, Pipeline, Predicament, Russia, Russian Bear, Russian Energy, S Line, Vladimir Putin

Imagine a world where Vladimir Putin may force Germany into toeing Moscow’s line or face losing its ability to power the world’s third largest economy. This dreadful predicament is not hard to picture. Germany, for years, has been completely dependent upon Russia for its energy needs. Currently, almost half of Germany’s natural gas comes from [...]