by Heather Hastie | Sep 14, 2017 | Religion, Russia, Tweets
As an atheist, I don’t have much time for religion. There are, of course, many believers who are important people in my life. I even have a god-daughter – despite my atheism her parents consider me to be a person who can be a good example to her. That...
by Heather Hastie | Jan 2, 2017 | Economics, Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Russia
2016 has been Putin’s year. He has succeeded in much of what he wants. He tells himself it’s about Making Russia Great Again. In reality, it’s about Putin himself. The Russian people are suffering and because of Putin, so are millions of others. And...
by Heather Hastie | Jan 24, 2016 | Great Britain & Europe, Russia
Staying with the leadership theme – this time an example of really bad and corrupt leadership – Vladimir Putin. A report was released this week into the death in London of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko at the age of 43. Litvinenko, who was born...
by Heather Hastie | Jan 24, 2016 | International Politics, US Politics
There’s a whine we’ve been hearing from Republicans with ever-increasing frequency since the start of Obama’s presidency: that the United States is less respected than it was in the Bush era, and especially that his leadership is seen as both weak...
by Heather Hastie | Oct 4, 2015 | Middle East, Russia, Winners and Worries
In reality, Syria has been a worry for years. Bashar al-Assad took over the presidency, the role of commander-in-chief of the Syrian armed forces, and the leadership of the ruling Ba’ath party on his father’s death in 2000. For several reasons, including...
