Russia’s Antiterrorism Measures as Sochi Olympics Approach

by Anna Borshchevskaya This article originally appeared in Operational Environment Watch. Click here to read the article in the original publication, along with the accompanying news excerpts. Russia is gearing up for the February 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, close to the Russian-Georgian border. Preparations include tightening security measures in anticipation of possible terrorist attacks. In…

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Russia: Alternative Point of View on Syrian Conflict

by Anna Borshchevskaya This article originally appeared in Operational Environment Watch. Click here to read the article in the original publication, along with the accompanying news excerpts.  In the run-up to the Geneva peace talks on Syria scheduled for early November, mainstream Russian press typically provided brief dry reports on the Syrian conflict, similar to…

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The Cost of Inaction: Foreign Fighters in Syria

by  Anna Borshchevskaya The Wall Street Journal reported today that European jihadist fighters who joined the ranks of extremists among Syrian rebel fighters are beginning to return home. This poses a significant threat to the West, as some are suspected of plotting terrorist attacks according to American and European officials. Experts wrote about the impact…

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Patronizing a Patriot

House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon doesn’t look like an insurgent. The quintessential Californian – a man of Reaganesque optimism whose congressional district now includes the Gipper’s presidential library – McKeon has been a steadfast supporter of House speaker John Boehner in turbulent times. Yet, to the green-eyeshade editorialists of the Wall…

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