- Editorial:
I probably watched hundreds of live U.S. Presidential news conferences during my time at the ABC Network (1980s, 1990s). Many of them bored me to tears, but I was working in a TV news control room and couldn't avoid them. But it must be pointed out that Mr. Trump's "press conference” was not a press conference in the traditional sense. It was a well-produced dog-and-pony show. A staged event. Reporters were yelled at. Reporters were not respected. Reporters were not able to ask follow up questions. News organizations were insulted and put down. Trump staff were present who applauded at Trump's answers and actually jeered at "opposition" reporters. A radio reporter commented that "This is a circus-like atmosphere”.
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Now, some people may be happy and having fun that Mr. Trump “really gave it to those liberal mainstream-media East Coast bastards” live on the international stage and that Mr. Trump was “taking total control”. But there is a looming danger in all of this. I have to agree with many of the points that Robert Reich wrote in today’s Salon (http://www.salon.com/2017/01/13/robert-reich-5-ways-trumps-news-conference-wasnt-a-news-conference_partner/). He wrote: "Tyrants don’t allow open questioning, and they hate the free press. They want total control.” This disregard for freedom of the press should concern all of us whose families escaped the Soviets to avoid just this type of tyrannical control. - Aavo Harju
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Friday 13. Jan.
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- US envoy’s message to Trump: Don’t screw it up in Europe
(Politico-Europe | Reuters)
"‘I might as well go out in a ball of flames,’ America’s EU ambassador Anthony Gardner told reporters in frank discussion.
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- An Open Letter to President-elect Trump from America’s Allies
(via The Washington Post)
[A group of 17 European dignitaries - including former Estonian President Ilves - published an open letter to Donald Trump warning that Russia is not America's ally.]
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“… the hope is that calmer heads inside the new administration will argue forcefully for protecting the transatlantic relationship and standing by allies that have fought beside the United States for shared interests and values for decades. A grand bargain with Putin must not come at Europe’s expense."
- Nii kole bränd!
(Äripäev)
"Ettevõtja Marina Kaas ei suuda oma silmi uskuda: Eestile valiti nii kole brändilahendus ja selle eest on ka raha makstud. … Aga kas tõesti need asjad on Eesti tõelised sümbolid, mille järgi tahame maailmas tuntud olla?"
- Narva eestistamine
(Eesti Päevaleht)
[Log-in unfortunately is required.]
- Outline of Possible 'Big Deal' between Putin and Trump on Ukraine Emerging - Kyiv political scientist
(Window on Eurasia)
"This week, Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state, said that the US could recognize Crimea as Russia if there were to be “a broader agreement which the people of Ukraine would recognize.” There are “several logical conclusions” which flow from this …"
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- Retired U.S. Marine General James Mattis offered lawmakers in Congress a full-throated endorsement of the NATO alliance
(Foreign Policy | New York Times | others)
"If we did not have NATO today, we would need to create it. It is vital to the United States. … Mattis also called for a permanent U.S. military presence in NATO’s Baltic allies, which are most vulnerable to Russian aggression.”
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- Kaitseministriks pürgiv erukindral Mattis toetab USA sõjalist kohalolu Baltimaades
(ERR)
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- USA kaitseministri kandidaat: Venemaa üritab NATO-t lõhestada
(Postimees)
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- James Mattis cruises through confirmation hearing
(The Hill | Slate)
"The vote was 24-3. The Senate Armed Services Committee afterward easily passed a waiver exempting Mattis from a law that requires Defense secretaries to be retired from military service for at least seven years."
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- U.S. Troops Arrive In Poland
(NPR | Reuters | Latvian Broadcasting)
"In the nearby town of Zagan — known for notorious POW camps the Nazis set up, including one featured in the 1963 blockbuster movie "The Great Escape" - officials and residents waving small American flags celebrated the arrival of what will be a continuous, rotational presence of U.S. and NATO armored brigades in Eastern Europe.”
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"But whether President-elect Donald Trump - who is highly critical of NATO - will withdraw the brigade after taking office is a question mark … "I wouldn't see that as likely very quickly, particularly given the likely role of general and secretary of defense nominee [James] Mattis in the process."
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- NATO Deputy Secretary General: US armored brigade a 'proportionate response' to Russia
(Baltic Times)
- Interactive Map Shows the High Stakes Missile Stand-Off Between NATO and Russia
(Foreign Policy)
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- Interaktiivne kaart: Vene riigi kinnisvara Eestis
(ERR)
- Newsweek: Estonian foreign intelligence eavesdropped on Russian official meeting Trump associate
(ERR | Postimees | Newsweek | Baltic Times)
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“While Newsweek could not determine the purpose of the meeting, a Western intelligence official said that surveillance of the meeting was conducted by or on behalf of the Estonian Information Board (EIB), the foreign intelligence service of Estonia. (Last year, EIB advised government leaders that the Russian government posed the greatest near-term danger to the security of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. As a result, Trump’s apparent support for Putin during the campaign raised concerns within the Baltic governments that, with a Trump presidency, they would face increased national security threats from Russia.) However, no evidence has emerged that Trump knew of the meeting or was briefed about it afterward."
- Politsei ja Piirivalveamet andis mullu välja üle 7500 relvaloa
(Postimees)
- Moscow Plans to ‘Export Separatism’ to Baltic Countries
(Window on Eurasia)
A Moscow analyst claims that Moscow is ”… confident that it can do so because the West will not be willing to go to war against a nuclear power to defend them."
- Russian party keen to establish presence in Estonian politics
(Baltic Times)
"A group of activists has been working for almost six months now with a view to establishing a new political party called Party of the Peoples of Estonia (Eestimaa Rahvaste Partei - ERP, Партия Hародов Эстонии - ПНЭ) that would field its candidates in the general elections of 2019."
- Rex Tillerson Takes Firm Stance On 'Resurgent' Russia In Senate Hearing
(RFERL)
“… Russia "poses a danger" and that U.S. allies had a right to be alarmed about a 'resurgent Russia.' … admitted Russia had taken 'illegal action' with respect to Crimea.”
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- Esto-Americans send their questions to Tillerson
(The Baltic Times)
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- Rex Tillerson says he hasn't talked Russia policy with Trump
(The Hill)
"Tillerson made the remark under questioning from Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who asked about Russian sanctions and its aggression during a confirmation hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.”
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“For all these answers that you’ve given me, does the president-elect agree with you?” Menendez asked. “The president-elect and I have not had the opportunity to discuss this specific issue or this specific area,” Tillerson said."
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- USA senat kuulas välisministriks pürgivat Tillersoni
(ERR)
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- Rex Tillerson Sheds Little Light on His Boss
(New York Times)
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- Is Rex Tillerson's image as a Russia-lover fair?
(Christian Science Monitor)
- Can Europe Defeat Russian Disinformation?
(Carnegie Europe)
[Ten experts weigh in with their opinions.]
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- Opinion: Why the Baltics Want to Move to Another Part of Europe
(Bloomberg View)
[The UN classified the Baltics as being Northern European decades ago but economically are not quite at the Nordic level.]
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- Estonia still an Eastern European country
(ERR)
“No changes have taken place in the UN’s division of countries by geographical region and regional group as far as Estonia is concerned. According to the classification of countries by geographical region for statistical use by the United Nations Statistics Division, Estonia belongs among countries of Northern Europe. Under the UN classification by regional group, Estonia belongs in the Eastern European Group. These two classifications are not connected with each other and are made for different purposes,” said spokesperson for the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Mariann Sudakov."
- Fake news, free speech, and lies
(UpNorth)
"It becomes even harder to tell fact from fiction, if we start identifying as “fake news” any statements that we find ideologically disagreeable or that come from a political opponent."
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- How Will U.S. Media Fight the Weaponization of ‘Fake News’?
(The Daily Beast)
"Fake news has a real meaning: deliberately constructed lies, in the form of news articles, meant to mislead the public."
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- It’s time to retire the tainted term ‘fake news’
(The Washington Post)
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- Opinion: Calling fake news 'alternative media’ is like calling an outhouse an 'alternative restaurant’
(ERR)
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- Nato’s return on investment
(BNE - 6. Jan.)
"Trump appears to have little sense of Nato’s history or purpose. As an ordinary citizen, he might be forgiven for his ignorance of the US’ most critical alliance, but as the future occupant of the highest office in the land, his misunderstanding of (and casual disdain for) Nato’s background is a matter of national security. Nato’s formation and development, contrary to some characterizations, is not some freebie subsidy lavished on decadent Europeans, but the result of painstaking and interests-based deliberations."
- Finland: A one-time shrine to Lenin adopts an uncensored view
(Christian Science Monitor)
- How State-Sponsored Blackmail Works in Russia: The art of 'kompromat'
(The Atlantic | NPR | Washington Post)
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- Podcast: Honey Traps And Money Traps
(RFERL)
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“Trust No One"
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- Ten Pieces of Bad Economic News from Russia in Last 24 Hours Alone
(Paul Goble)
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- Baker’s Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories
(Paul Goble)
- Elation Over Trump Melts Away As Russia Reacts To 'Hawkish’ Tillerson
(RFERL)
- Trump’s vision of US-Russian relations must confront reality
(The Conversation)
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- Recommitting the United States to European Security and Prosperity
(Heritage Org. Brief)
"Five Steps for the Incoming Administration."
- Moscow's biggest deception
(CEPA)
"Russia confronts serious internal decay and a new time of turmoil is fast approaching that will have global reverberations and affect U.S. interests. The more extensive the decline, the more likely that the Kremlin will engage in foreign interventions to deceive and mobilize its citizens. To avoid sudden surprises and possible military confrontations, the Trump administration must devise ways to manage Russia’s deterioration and limit the impact of its external aggression rather than propping up a failing state that is following the path of the Soviet Union."
- Interview: Garry Kasparov
(Yahoo News - Michael Isikoff)
"Kasparov warns of a Trump-Putin alliance."
- Interactive Map Shows the High Stakes Missile Stand-Off Between NATO and Russia
(Foreign Policy)
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- The Russia / NATO A2AD Environment
(CSIS)
"Russia has invested considerable energy into developing A2AD capabilities and carefully positioning them to maximize their strategic effect. Russia’s A2AD deployments span as far north as the Arctic down to Syria, with particular concentrations in Kaliningrad and around Crimea—a sort of “thicket of overlapping and redundant A2/AD systems.” In the event of a crisis, such deployments would complicate NATO’s ability to access key areas such as the Baltics or Poland. These relative weaknesses within NATO could increase the attractiveness to Russia of a fait-accompli."
- Russian Propaganda Outlets Declared 'Important for Country's Defense’
(The Moscow Times)
"The Rossiya Segodnya news agency (formerly RIA Novosti,) the TASS news agency, and the VGTRK television and radio holding, all made the list of of state companies that bear “essential significance in protecting the rights and lawful interests of Russian citizens, as well as defense potential and security of the state.”
- Kremlin Propaganda Effort Ever Less Effective on Russians: Surveys
(Window on Eurasia)
- Twenty years ago Russians loved the US. Where did it all go wrong?
(Christian Science Monitor)
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