Worldcrunch
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Israel has been battering with increasing intensity, were inevitably a prime target after decades of violent subversion often enacted with the aid of that other enemy of the West: Russia. The IRGC may be in its final throes.
A tragic aviation disaster, a major political milestone, and the birth of a cinematic icon.
It is likely that there will not be a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia this year — or ever one at all. If negotiations stagnate, they could resemble the post-World War II relations between Japan and the Soviet Union: A peace treaty was never signed, and the dispute over the Kuril Islands has persisted for more than 70 years.
A revolutionary invention, a celebrity birth, and a viral campaign.
The death of a Prague Spring protestor, a one-time-only snowfall in the U.S. and a first for Japan in space.
The creation of a Communist state, the execution of a dictator and the birthday of one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 1,000 days ago. Since then, many Western nations, scholars and politicians have suggested negotiating for peace with Russia, rather than letting the war go on. But negotiations will not stop Putin’s imperial ambitions.
Terror attacks in Paris, a deadly eruption in Colombian and the birthday of Caryn Elaine Johnson.
Updated Oct. 23, 2024 at 11:25 a.m. The Hungarian Revolution started on this day in 1956. What was the Hungarian Revolution of 1956? The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide uprising against the Soviet-backed government of Hungary that began on October 23, 1956, and lasted until November 10, 1956. It was a pivotal […]
Updated October 22, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that American reconnaissance planes discovered Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, marking the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis on this day in 1962. What did President Kennedy reveal in his televised address? In his address, President Kennedy revealed that American reconnaissance planes […]
As the People’s Republic of China turns 75, journalist Jens Mühling attempts to visit Tiananmen Square, where the country’s great dramas have always taken place.
Updated August 20, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Czechoslovakia on this day in 1968. Why did the Soviet Union invade Czechoslovakia? The Soviet Union, along with other Warsaw Pact countries, invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress the reforms of the Prague Spring. The Prague Spring was a […]
Updated August 13, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. The construction of the Berlin Wall began on this day in 1961. It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to prevent residents from escaping to West Berlin. It was intended in particular to halt the mass exodus of skilled laborers, professionals, and intellectuals from East […]
Updated July 17, 2024 at 12:35 p.m. Czar Nicholas II, along with his wife Alexandra and their five children, was executed on this day in 1918. The execution took place in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Why were Czar Nicholas II and his family executed? The execution of the Russian royal […]
Through quiet diplomacy, Russia may be courting the rising star of Latin American populism, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. In time, he must decide between international respectability and a bear hug from Vladimir Putin.
Updated June 27, 2024 at 11 a.m. The Moscow Summit began on this day in 1974 and lasted six days. The primary participants of the Moscow Summit were the United States and the Soviet Union, led respectively by President Richard Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. What was the purpose of the Moscow Summit? […]
Updated June 22, 2024 at 10:20 a.m. Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. It was launched on this day in 1941, and aimed to conquer Soviet territory, defeat the Soviet military, and ultimately establish German dominance in Eastern Europe. Why did Germany launch […]
Updated June 19, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. On this day in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for espionage, accused of providing classified information about atomic bomb technology to the Soviet Union. What was the charge against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a New York couple, were charged with conspiracy to […]
China’s Premier Li Qiang has offered to send Australia two new pandas during his visit to Adelaide Zoo, as “friendly messengers of China-Australia relations.” It’s the latest example of China’s enduring and unique “panda diplomacy.”
The higher cost of the war will not deter Hamas leaders from claiming victory once any truce is reached. It will only push the discussion of a real solution for the region farther away from all.
Certain contemporary writers may be deluded and even deceived in claiming there is nothing subjective in their fictional writings, forgetting that their literary “realities” are, inevitably, the fruit of a personal vision.
The competing May 8 and May 9 World War II victory celebrations, and an upcoming D-Day snub to Vladimir Putin, show how uncertain the future appears right now. Perhaps even more uncertain than the Cold War.
Updated May 2, 2024 at 1:15 p.m. The iconic war photograph of the raising of the flag over the Reichstag was taken on this day in 1945. Why was the raising of the flag over the Reichstag significant? The image showing a Soviet soldier raising the Soviet flag on the roof of the Reichstag building […]
Updated April 26, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on this day in 1986, on Ukrainian territory of the Soviet Union. It was the worst nuclear disaster in history, both in terms of the human and environmental impact. How did the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happen? The […]
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut became the first human ever to travel into outer space on this day in 1961.
New drones near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, in the wake of attacks that killed at least three in the area in southeastern Ukraine, have once again raised fears of a Chernobyl scenario. Threatening nuclear disaster is a tool Putin has used before.
Tajiks are responsible for numerous Islamist terrorist attacks in recent months. Suspects in the devastating attack in Moscow also come from the Central Asian country. Open access to Russia, difficult economic conditions, and a secular dictatorship that has repressed religion at home are among the factors that contribute to the radicalization of Tajiks.
Latin American governments have barely denounced the Russian attack on Ukraine, partly for lingering distrust of the United States. But there is also a regional misperception of Russia as a new Soviet Union and friend of “lesser nations” struggling for betterment.
In not condemning Russia and openly siding with Israel, India’s foreign policy establishment is merely jettisoning the thin layer of politically-expedient, feel-good idealistic post-colonialism that veils an iron-fisted pragmatism.
With Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas suddenly appearing on Moscow’s wanted list, both the past and present offer plenty of evidence that the small Baltic nation — with 40% Russian speakers — could be the next neighbor after Ukraine in the Kremlin’s crosshairs.
Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for the March 17 presidential election, but his message is on display at the vast “Rossia” exhibition in Moscow, which aims “to show Russians their modern Russia, a country they can be proud of.”
Updated Feb. 4, 2024 at 10:20 a.m. On this day between in 1945, following the events of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union met to discuss the postwar reorganization of a war-torn Europe. What was the main purpose […]
Updated Jan. 21, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. It was 100 years ago on this day that Vladimir Lenin died at the age of 53. Who was Vladimir Lenin? Lenin was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He was the founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and of the Soviet […]
Updated Dec. 23 2023 at 12:00 p.m. On this day in 1979, the Soviet Union intervened in support of the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim guerrillas during the Afghan War, after Afghanistan’s centrist government was overthrown by left-wing military officers led by Nur Mohammad Taraki. Why did the Soviets invade Afghanistan? […]
Russian ambitions to expand its empire have existed for centuries. But are they doomed to be this way forever? Janusz Onyszkiewicz, the former defense minister of Poland, digs into the history — and the future.
In a few days’ time, there will probably be no Armenians left in Nagorno-Karabakh, part of a long history of ethnic cleansing. The self-proclaimed Republic, defeated by Azerbaijan, has announced its dissolution, signaling its historic failure. But it also has much wider geopolitical implications.
Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom has lost access to the European market and is rife with inefficiencies. Still, it isn’t going anywhere soon. The engine of Russia’s vast resources are fed into Vladimir Putin’s system for maintaining power.
Reporting from agricultural centers in eastern Ukraine confirms a landmark study: Extensive wartime damage to the country’s crucial agricultural sector risks raising hunger in places that have counted on Ukrainian grain.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is often compared to Stalin, the Soviet leader responsible for the deaths of millions. In the West, it’s not a compliment. For Putin, it’s encouragement. Meanwhile, some Russian nationalists ask if he’s “Stalin enough.”
Predictions about the collapse of Russia are as old as the country itself. Yet a consistent centralization of power has gone on for decades, weakening Russia’s territories and republics. The war in Ukraine changes everything and nothing.