T. Abdollah & J. Lederman, AP
HONOLULU (AP) --Ã In a sweeping response to election hacking and other meddlesome behavior, President Barack Obama on Thursday sanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and closed down two Russian-owned compounds in the U.S. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack.
Mykola Kapitonenko, Kyiv Post
Back on March 5, 2014, 11 days before the so-called referendum in the Crimea, Henry Kissinger, the U.S. secretary of state in 1973-77 and the world's No. 1 balance-of-power thinker, put forward a set of guidelines for settling the crisis in Ukraine. The key points envisaged Ukraine's freedom to associate closer with Europe in exchange â¦
John Lloyd, Reuters
By John Lloyd This past year has been one where the limits and failings of democracy became more visible than at any time since World War Two ens
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera
How the West is wobbling under the pressures of its neoliberal and geopolitical overreach.
Y. Diko, Daily Maverick
Life can be hard, even if you are white, but life will never be hard because you are white.
Camilla MacPherson, Nowhere Mag
The Hutterites like to keep to themselves. They have no website or email address and the colony does not appear on a GPS device. The Hutterites don't hold with technology, unless it's the latest farming machinery. They manage to get by just fine without the internet.
Rakesh Sood, The Hindu
Given his limited choices in stabilising Afghanistan, which include supporting a national election, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will find India to be a reliable and trusted partner in this process
Atta Nasib, The Diplomat
Moscow and Tehran see an opportunity to fatal distract the United States in Afghanistan.
Travis Lupick, The Walrus
A shadow health-care system is saving lives in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
Conor King, Vancouver Sun
Staff Sgt. Conor King has been a Victoria Police Department officer for 16 years, is an expert on fentanyl and other drugs from a law-enforcement standpoint, and serves in VicPD's Investigative Serâ¦
Florian Eder, Politico EU
Elections, power plays and historic choices loom before the Continent in 2017.
Jennifer Williams, Vox
Don't worry, we've got you covered.
David Rothkopf, Foreign Policy
Despite their momentary ascendancy, Bibi, Trump, and Putin are yesterday's men.
Alex Shepard, New Republic
On one level, Kerry's much-anticipated speech explaining the United States's decision not to veto a non-binding UN resolution calling for Israel to stop building settlements in occupied Palestinian territory was what you'd expect from the Secretary of State: Measured, comprehensive, intelligent, and excruciatingly longâÂÂKerry didn't even begin laying out his parameters for lasting peace, ostensibly...
Rick Richman, Commentary
Immediately after the UN voted last week to vilify Israel, Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security advisor, held a conference call to argue...
Robert Zaretsky, RealClearWorld
In 1987, the film âÂÂPlanes, Trains and Automobilesâ roared into America's movie theaters. The now-classic road comedy featured Steve Martin and John Candy madly scrambling from one means of transportation to another, trying desperately to reach their homes in time for Thanksgiving. It was a blast.Thirty years have since passed, and audiences have watched a succession of real-life sequels. All of them have been blasts, but with a tragic difference.
Lev Golinkin, New York Times
It is particularly jarring to witness this defeatism in America, a country whose optimism reaches across continents. My family came here with many stereotypical visions of America. Most turned out to be wrong, but the one about the United States being built on optimism was true.