Fictional Ruthenia & Galicia – and real Ukraine
Twelve years ago I wrote my second novel. The action took place in an Eastern European magic kingdom, superimposed in another dimension over what is, in this world, western Ukraine, …
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The friend of my enemy is not my enemy
I remember fondly the times when the small states of Eastern and Central Europe enjoyed a near universal support among the American right in their aspirations for independence and freedom, …
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Ukraine 3 (updated)
Coverage continues. Top illustration: the Polish convoy with military supplies for Ukraine. 2:53PM: Amid many speculations, multiple sources say the decision has been made — and as soon as on …
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Ukraine 2 (updated)
More rolling coverage and snippets from social media (graphic by Imogene Salva) 2:15PM: Poland is supplying Ukraine with military supplies free of charge, including a Polish equivalent of “Stinger” missiles. …
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Ukraine (updated)
Disjointed thoughts at a tragic time, progressively updated: Putin is invading Ukraine – not just sending “peacekeepers” into the breakaway pro-Russia regions in the east of the country – in …
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20 + 1 Best Books I’ve Read in 2021
This is the last time I’m ever doing New Year’s resolutions. My resolution for 2021 was to read less – not because I hate reading but to have more diverse …
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TDC’s Best Communist Jokes
Dark humour is like food, Stalin once said, not everyone gets it. Well, he didn’t actually say it – it was just a meme. The real Stalin wasn’t a funny …
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They were for it before they were against it
Another anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe came and went with the now usual disgruntlement bubbling between Russia and all the other participants. This year …
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Happy 1055th birthday Poland!
You might have had some rough times recently, but you don’t look a day older than a millennium. On the Holy Saturday, 14 April 966, Poland had officially entered the …
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America’s mythical allies – and the real ones
Sam Vinograd, an Obama administration nat sec alumnus – and now, needless to say, a CNN nat sec analyst – is hearing sounds: It's like I can almost hear our …
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When Poland saved Europe
A hundred years ago this week, a series of biggest battles that Europe were to witness between the end of the First World War in 1918 and the beginning of …
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America is bad for democracy, say allies
Dalia Research, the Alliance for Democracies and Rasmussen International have released the results of the Democracy Perception Index, the largest study of its kind, based on interviews with 124,000 people in …
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Who Won World War Two?
The commemorations and celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War were mooted this year. No obligatory parades or gathering took place at the time of …
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Those That Trust Trump, or Who Hearts America?
A fascinating update, courtesy of Pew Research Center, on attitudes towards the United States around the world, best summarised in this table: It’s personally interesting to note that Poland is the …
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Russia and China after your internet
Nothing good ever comes of when these two take interest in something: The United Nations on Friday approved a Russian-led bid that aims to create a new convention on cybercrime, …
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That time Poland was wearing a short skirt
The year wouldn’t go past without Vladimir Putin managing to again eschew any role in starting the Second World War and instead blaming Poland for getting invaded: Speaking at a …
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The Great Australian Nothingburger
The hills are alive with the sound of shrieking (because it’s a day ending with -day) from the Democrats and their PR wing in the mainstream media, with the new …
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The Fourth Partition
It’s 2019, so over the next few years we will commemorate a number of 80th anniversaries connected with the Second World War. British people will be reminded of their darkest …
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The two “what if”s of September 1939
Eighty years ago, Germany invaded Poland from the west, the north and the south, starting World War Two. Seventeen days later. the Soviet Union invaded from the east, completing the …
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