I'm tempted just to post a link to the Leonard Cohen song on YouTube and go have an intimate conversation with a bottle of Laphroaig, but I won't. But it sure is tempting ( Read more... )

From Douglas Muir at A Fistfull of Euros:

Durnovo was Russian, and he was the Minister of the Interior for a while under Nicholas II. (His successor was the much more famous Stolypin.) He was a conservative who disliked democracy and was none too fond of capitalism either; his lodestars were Russia’s national interest and the monarchical principle ( Read more... )

"Ever since Vladimir Putin rose to power in 2000, his political opponents and entire countries have learned to their cost that he has a tough, demeaning streak. Wednesday it was Michael Dell's turn ( Read more... )

Fabius Maximus thinks that the current turf rumble over South Ossetia is about oil. He's probably correct. See this useful Wikki map.

For those who don't read John Le Carré, a useful reference.

Is this the beginning of "The Great Game" 2.0?