Russia Reform Monitor: No. 2117
The dismal state of domestic rights... and labor;
For Russians, it's better to be feared 
The dismal state of domestic rights... and labor;
For Russians, it's better to be feared 
The Obama administration's Syria strategy has left along with the former president. The question remains how the United States will continue to be involved in the conflict, if at all.
China's carrier takes a lap around Taiwan;
Beijing cracks down on Bitcoin
By all appearances, the Donald Trump administration is preparing to attempt a historic reconciliation with Russia. In part, the strategy is aimed at driving a wedge into the long-running strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran. With the proper incentives, the thinking goes, it might be possible to "flip" Russia. "There's daylight between Russia and Iran, for sure," one foreign official familiar with the White House's deliberations explained. "What's unclear is what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin would demand in return for weakening the alliance."
Toward a blacklisting of the IRGC;
Defiant in Tehran;
Iran's proxy forces in Syria;
An opening in North Africa;
Iran's hanging campaign heats up