With all the focus on Syria, and particularly on growing tensions between Russia and Turkey, it’s important to understand the complicated regional dynamics in the Middle East. How is Russia’s relationship with Israel and Iran playing out? What is Iran’s end game? How does the Syrian conflict really fit into a wider regional or sectarian […]
Turkey has shot down a Russian jet in Syria, ISIS has conducted a massive attack in Europe, the world is debating how to solve the crisis in the Middle East, and Russia has once again made its way back into the headlines. This week Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and The Interpreter‘s managing editor James […]
Long before Edward Snowden worked for the NSA — before PRISM and Wikileaks — there was SORM, the Russian system of intercepting and monitoring communications. In the hands of a dictator, SORM has become a powerful weapon for the Kremlin to target his opponents both at home and abroad. Bloomberg has even questions whether Russia’s […]
War returns to Ukraine, as fighting has broken out across the front. World powers and intelligence sources continue to debate whether the Metrojet crash in Egypt was an act of terrorism. These are big, ugly headlines, but another headline may give insight into the source of so many of Russia’s problems — President Vladimir Putin’s […]
This week, Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller and Boston College professor Matt Sienkiewicz are joined by The Interpreter’s Pierre Vaux to discuss internet trolls and Russian propaganda. In particular, we discuss Kremlin-run “troll farms” which attempt to influence, and ultimately distort, the narrative surrounding world events. Click here to hear our previous podcasts. You now […]
After the failures of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the struggles of American policy following the Arab Spring uprisings, what is the role the United States should play in the world? Are we really in ‘Cold War 2.0’? Can we work with Russia on Afghanistan? On Syria? And what role do non-politician politicians, so called “outsiders,” […]
Is the Russian intervention in Syria going to make things better or worse? What are the possible solutions for the Syrian crisis, and can the US work with Russia to end a war that has significant consequences for the Middle East and the world at large? This week, Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller and Boston […]
The Interpreter Podcast returns! This week, Boston College Professor Dr. Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller discuss the Dutch Safety Board report on the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. Bonus conversation: the first Democratic Presidential debate will be held tonight. Will Bernie Sanders become the front runner, will […]
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast. Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs. For links to individual […]
On Friday, September 11, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko took to the stage at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference, which is now held in Kiev since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Poroshenko proudly pronounced that in the previous 24 hour period, and for the first time in a year and a half, there was not […]
