A couple of things:
First, I have another piece on RT, this time discussing the legal and geopolitical ins and outs of the recent US naval incursion in the Peter of the Great Bay near Vladivostok. You can read it here.
Second, I will be participating in the online Zoom event below on Wednesday. Run by the Simone Weil Center for Political Philosophy, the event will be moderated by Anatol Lieven, and involve myself, Marlene Laruelle; James Carden; Boris Mezhuev; and Richard Sakwa. You are all welcome to join in to listen to the discussion and pose questions.
Politics, Tragedy, Sovereignty: Online Panel Discussion on the Meaning of Today’s Russia
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, 12 Noon – 1:15 PM (EST)
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85057184017?pwd=d2s5MGVNanBqTFRncjFlVDdqY3BaZz09
Passcode: 056782 Meeting ID: 850 5718 4017
IRRUSSIANALITY 
The rocket thing with Romania… I have been reading in the Russian press, some Russian analysts believe this is actually a NATO plan to seize Kaliningrad. The logic is convoluted, though; I might do a post on this.
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How do you seize Kaliningrad from Romania?? Sounds like paranoia to me.
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Maybe. Here is the link to the piece in question. The author is Viktor Sokirko. I just barely skimmed it and put it aside as a possible post for my own blog; so have not yet had time to read through and absorb his thesis.
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You drive the artillery system there over land until the target area is within range. According to the article. If that makes sense.
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Looks like it should be a good quality discussion. Will tune in.
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Will try to tune it as well.
Just Read Dominic Lievens magisterial Russia against Napoleon, excellent scholarship would recommend. Very good counternarrative to York/Clausewitz.
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explain, would you?
counternarrative to York/Clausewitz.
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Clausewitz wrote a highly influential book on Napoleons Russian campaign. He was embedded in the Russian army, but spoke essentially no Russian and was a complete stranger, in contrast to f.e. Langeron (French Royalist who was in Russian service) he also didnt bother to learn it. Langeron was pretty much beloved by his units, and reminded them constantly that it was his great privilege to command such honorable soldiers and cared very strongly for their wellfare.
There was btw. a sizeable difference in terms of capability, under Russian service, between the Kohort of essentially Prussian refugees in Russia and between Baltic Germans who has been living in Russia for generation and who were speaking the language. The Prince of Würtemberg being the positive exception.
Clausewitz/York etc. were not very complementary of the Russian war effort, in particular as it pertained the (actually very skillfully done) Russian retreat.
In a way, Clausewitz is still valid, but taking his take for an objective assessment of Russians Napoleonic war performance is akin to using a Free French officer, who works in the UKs military staff as a liasion and does not speak English, as an authoritative overview on the UKs performance in WW2.
This comparison is a bit unfair to Clausewitz perhaps, as he was able to communicate with Russian officers using French
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York is a reference to Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg? A reference to the Convention of Tauroggen?
Hmmm. Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron, Novorossiya and the émigré army? That’s an interesting hint.
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Apologize for the off-top, but if there are English Lit Majors out there, might be interested in my latest post. It’s a book review of John Wilson’s “City of the Plague”. Which, as Russian Lit Majors know, inspired Pushkin’s short play, “A Feast in Plague Times”.
Now, THAT was a real plague, that one. Not like these silly plagues we have today…
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Don’t mind, unlike some hypocrites out there who’re quite selective in their criticism of such manner.
I try to keep that kind of a self promo relevant to the topic under discussion.
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An example of a skewed Russia related panel –
https://www.c-span.org/video/?478388-1/german-marshall-fund-discussion-transatlantic-alliance
Fact checking and correcting Germanchuk on what was said to Gorbachev regarding NATO expansion:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/newly-declassified-documents-gorbachev-told-nato-wouldnt-23629
As the likes of Cuomo continue to get awards and other props. No justice whatsoever.
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How secure is Zoom nowadays.
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The NSA would never listen in on private conference calls. Because they are gentlemen.
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I realized I may not need to install it. I can simply watch.
Not afraid of NSA or whoever. Of web scanners in search of vulnerabilities, maybe? A vulnerability in Zoom caused larger troubles in a network of friends a while ago.
One of my systems is down, hopefully not out. Haven’t got the nerve to look into it at the moment.
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