The spectrum of “Useful Idiots”, a cold-war term for unwitting allies of communism, is wide. In both politics and business, despite multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Russia still has plenty of “friends”
Some countries have twisted seemingly noble intentions into policies that warm Mr Putin’s heart. Citing its vaunted neutrality,has wielded arcane local laws to block the supply of arms to Ukraine, including 96 mothballed Leopard tanks sitting in Italy that happen to belong to a private Swiss firm. Scoring repeated own goals with freedom-of-speech principles, police inhave permitted public burnings of the Koran.
, for instance, has been a vital conduit for Western aid and recently pledged its fleet of 13 Soviet-era Mig-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force. But polls show that the party of Robert Fico, a Russophile leftist who has blamed “Ukrainian fascists” for provoking Mr Putin, looks likely to win national elections scheduled for September..
, Wolfgang Streeck, a German sociologist, posits that the hidden purpose of the crisis is to set the stage for putting a fearfulWhat seems to link Europe’s far right, far left and “intellectual” opposition to Western policy is something simpler, however. It is a hoary, cold-war-style anti-Americanism.
At a recent political rally near Berlin Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, found himself heckled by a chorus of beefy peaceniks shouting “Warmonger!” Normally polite, soft-spoken and unflappable, Mr Scholz roared back into the microphone that it was Mr Putin who wanted to destroy and conquer Ukraine. “If you loudmouths had even a little bit of brain, you would know the real warmonger!”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alexander Gabuev on China’s strategic calculations after the turmoil in Russia“China will go to great lengths, including efforts to keep the Russian economy afloat, to prevent a revolution from taking hold there,” argues AlexGabuev in a guest essay for The Economist
Read more »
Ukraine war: Three drones intercepted 'heading for Moscow' - Russia accuses Kyiv of 'terrorist attack'Russia's defence ministry says four out of five drones were shot down, while a fifth was jammed and crashed, causing disruption to the capital's main airports.
Read more »
Russia’s Military Says It Fended Off Another Ukrainian Drone Attack on MoscowThe raid came as Ukrainian forces have continued probing Russian defenses in the south and the east of their country in the initial stages of a counteroffensive.
Read more »
Can Russia’s navy thwart attacks by repainting its ships?Camouflaging vessels at sea is notoriously difficult. Attempts at full concealment have proved fruitless. But old-fashioned techniques may have new benefits in an age of AI and drones
Read more »