Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1980
The brownshirts of "
United Russia"
Corporate confidence... and widespread hardship
 
The brownshirts of "
United Russia"
Corporate confidence... and widespread hardship
 
After a heated battle last month, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, commonly known as trade promotion authority, which gives the president the ability to negotiate trade deals and submit them to Congress as a whole for an up or down vote, which, these days, is an essential step towards passage. The fight now moves to the House of Representatives, where passage is critical as both chambers must agree on the final text of the pending trade promotion authority bill.
Over the weekend, Turkey experienced something resembling an electoral earthquake, with Sunday's general election yielding an array of unexpected outcomes that suggest a major political reconfiguration lies ahead for the Republic.
Hard times for the PIJ;
Western strategy against the Islamic State: More of the same;
Turkey changes tack;
A Balkan anti-Islamism effort;
ISIS takes aim at the Taliban...;
...While the rift with Al-Nusra deepens
The Chinese military is expanding disputed islands under its control in the South China Sea, alarming its neighbors. How worried should the world be that supreme leader Xi Jinping is making China into an expansionary power? The history of the People's Republic offers some useful clues.