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May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Feb. 22, 2007 / 4 Adar 5767

Moscow's ‘Soul’ Man

By Mort Zuckerman

Mort Zuckerman
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | After President Bush first met Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said he had looked into his soul. The friendship implied in that meeting has now thoroughly soured. Today, Putin looks at America and despises what he sees-judging by his headline-making remarks at a recent international conference. America's military actions are "illegitimate," Putin says, and have created only more instability and danger in the world as it acts unilaterally and disregards international law.


Putin has taken Russia in the opposite direction from the democratic one pursued by his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. More and more, power is concentrated in the hands of the Kremlin, with Putin conducting the state's business in an increasingly autocratic fashion. Putin is dedicated to the state. Restraints on its power have been so dramatically loosened that the executive, once again, dominates the legislature, the judiciary, the police and security services, the formerly self-governing provinces, and the national mass media-especially television.


By undercutting democracy, Putin satisfies the Russian thirst for order. His support exceeds 70 percent in a country where 75 percent rate order as their most important priority (only 13 percent plump for democracy). Overwhelmingly, Russians place their economic well-being ahead of social justice. They hated the humiliating turmoil of Yeltsin's first stab at democracy, which was accompanied by a collapse of the ruble. The Yeltsin years left many Russians yearning for a strong leader, a stable economy, and stores with western consumer goods.


The Kremlin, under Putin, has frozen liberalizing reforms. This is a state where power counts far more than the law, but make no mistake: It is not the totalitarian Soviet Union. Russians today enjoy freedom to live as they choose, to travel abroad, start businesses, watch foreign movies, and surf the Internet.


Obstructionist. Putin is committed to transforming Russia into an energy superpower. He has retaken the commanding heights of the economy, especially in oil and gas, a move that can be traced back to a 1999 essay under his name, before he was president, where he singled out raw materials as the basis for Russia's revival as a major world power. No wonder some people call him Vladimir Gasputin. Putin's top lieutenants generally serve not only as cabinet ministers or Kremlin aides but also as chairmen of various state-controlled companies, notably those in the energy sector.


All this is plain to see, but it is Russia's foreign policy that requires concentrated analysis. The Kremlin has declared, through its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, that Russia should not take sides in the global conflict and that it must act as a mediator. In other words, Russia isn't going to join the West and no longer seeks to integrate itself into the family of western capitalist democracies. Russia will cooperate with the West, but only on its own terms and only in certain areas; it reserves the right to be obstructionist in others. The Russians favor working directly with a range of countries, many unsavory, and will use their assets as leverage, be they arms, nuclear technology, or energy resources.


Putin's decision to pressure former Soviet states in Russia's "near abroad" strained those relations, but he defends what he sees as Russian interests with ruthless pragmatism, supporting despicable but friendly regimes in Uzbekistan and Belarus and punishing wayward ones in Ukraine and Georgia.


Now the Russian president is making moves in the Middle East that are, to put it charitably, unhelpful. He has sent tactical air-defense missiles to Syria. He invites leaders of Hamas to Moscow in an attempt at diplomatic arbitrage, hoping to emerge as an indispensable mediator in the region. Of greatest concern is Putin's attitude toward Iran. He has resumed arms sales and provided support for the billion-dollar nuclear plant at Bushehr while continuing to oppose effective sanctions or their enforcement to restrain Iran's march toward nuclear enrichment and to sell Tehran high-quality arms, including ground-to-air missiles.


This reveals the extent to which Russia is playing its own game at the cost of its partnership with the West. There is little influence we can have today on Moscow. Soaring oil revenues mean that Russia is no longer the economically weakened country it was a decade ago, in desperate need of help from abroad. If Russia is going to change, it will be from within or not at all.


The West must somehow achieve a delicate diplomatic balance to deal with this new Russia. We must avoid isolating it without seeming to legitimize its bureaucratic authoritarianism. We must continue to speak out against Putin's moves away from democracy and his use of energy to intimidate neighbors. We must selectively find ways of helping developing democracies in Russia's near abroad that want to escape its influence. Russia is, once again, a problem for the West. But at least now the game is not one of nuclear checkmate, as it was in the past.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Mort Zuckerman is editor-in-chief and publisher of U.S. News and World Report. Send your comments to him by clicking here.

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