| | | | Fareed: Why Russia Was "Lost" From the Start | | | President Trump's performance at the Helsinki summit was embarrassing, but his suggestion that Washington "lost" Russia is worth pondering, Fareed says in his latest Washington Post column. The problem? The die might have been cast two decades ago. As oil prices rose, a "newly enriched Russia looked at its region with a much more assertive and ambitious gaze. And Putin, sitting atop the 'vertical of power' he had created, began a serious effort to restore Russian influence and undermine the West and its democratic values. What has followed…has all been in service of that strategy," Fareed writes. "[Y]es, the West might have missed an opportunity to transform Russia in the early '90s. We will never know whether it would have been successful. But what we do know is that there were darker forces growing in Russia from the beginning, that those forces took over the country almost two decades ago and that Russia has chosen to become the principal foe of America and the American-created world order." | | Trump Needs to Admit the Truth About North Korea | | | It might be hard for President Trump to admit the truth about North Korea, but the reality is that despite his assurances, negotiations aren't going well, writes Kent Harrington for Project Syndicate. It's time to say so publicly. "Though the Kim regime is still working toward nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of reaching the continental US, it already has fully operational medium-range missiles that can strike its neighbors," Harrington writes. "Trump may not like it, but he must call out Kim's duplicity, especially given the latest intelligence. Among other things, the North is accelerating production of solid-fuel rocket engines and an ICBM-armed submarine…The Kim regime's ongoing efforts in this area make clear that it has no intention of scrapping its nuclear program." | | Why the Putinists Should Be Nervous | | | Vladimir Putin's approval ratings have taken a hit, in large part thanks to plans to raise Russia's retirement age. Anti-Kremlin protests have been tepid so far, writes Leonid Bershidsky for Bloomberg. But there could still be trouble ahead for Putin's allies. "Putinists who hope to hold on to power after 2024, when the strongman's fourth presidential term ends, can't help but notice that while Russians are not particularly unhappy about economic conditions, they show less and less appreciation for the government's performance. If the trend is intensified by measures like the retirement-age increase, political leaders will have [to] be able to sway voters only with coercion and electoral fraud," Bershidsky writes. "Instead of focusing on foreign wars and controversies...the Russian autocrat may have to start paying close attention to domestic economic issues if he wants the system he built to survive him." | | Team Trump, Be Careful What you Wish for With Iran | | | The Trump administration seems keen on regime change in Iran. It should be careful what it wishes for, because the next leader could be worse, argues Mahsa Rouhi in Foreign Policy. "For the Iranian people, the fear of descending into instability and war, as their neighbors have, is a crucial factor in restraining their actions against the government," Rouhi writes. As a result, the most "likely result of regime collapse would be a military seizure of power in the name of restoring order. And the most likely candidate to lead such a coup would be the man Washington's Iran hawks fear the most: Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for foreign military and special operations. He has been the mastermind behind Iran's military operations in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria…and he is seen as a threat by US allies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel." | | The Migrant Story Is Worse Than You Think | | | International attention on migration from Central America has typically focused on border crossings into the United States. What that overlooks? The brutal journey through Mexico to even get close to the border, writes Stephanie Leutert for Lawfare. Reaching northbound trains, for example, means "hiking around the highway checkpoints on remote paths, exposed to both the elements and the opportunistic criminals who lie in wait. While many of these criminals are locals, they also include the same gangs that many Central Americans are fleeing: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. These gangs monitor the flows of migrants; attempt to infiltrate migrant shelters to identify future victims; and they rob, sexually assault and extort migrants for the right to continue their journeys," Leutert writes. "Farther north, a host of other criminal groups wait to extort migrants. Along the US-Mexico border in the northern states of Sonora or Tamaulipas, migrants must pay a fee to pass through the border areas, with non-compliance punishable by kidnapping or death." | | Study: Environment Facing a Bad Case of Indigestion | | | As incomes around the world rise, the consumption of meat is set to soar. That could be devastating for the environment, writes Hannah Devlin for The Guardian, citing a new study. "The average amount of meat consumed per person globally has nearly doubled in the past 50 years, from around 23 kg (51 pounds) in 1961 to 43 kg (95 pounds) in 2014," Devlin writes. And while some developed countries appear to have reached "peak meat" consumption, "middle-income countries, particularly China and others in east Asia, are still seeing a rise. A recent review by the UN gave a projected increase in global meat consumption of 76% by mid-century, including a doubling in the consumption of poultry, a 69% increase in beef and a 42% increase in pork." "The paper outlines how, in broad terms, meat production – particularly livestock – is linked to far higher carbon emissions than vegetables, fruits and grains. Livestock production currently accounts for 15% of all anthropogenic emissions (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide)." | | | | | | |
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