Posts

What can stop Putin’s war in Ukraine?

Image
Sylvain Saurel  ·  Follow 4y What can stop Putin’s war in Ukraine? Two possibilities. Either Putin ends up not being able to finance this odious war because of the medium and long-term effects of the economic and financial sanctions taken by the West against Russia. Finally, Putin is forced to give up his plans and he will try to find a way out by preserving his image so that his people will not discover the truth: this war only served to feed his megalomania. Either Putin finally realizes by himself that he has entered a dead-end road that will lead him to his ruin. He decides to stop this war by himself quickly in order to preserve his regime. I might as well tell you that the second possibility has little chance of happening. Putin is a stubborn person who never gives up. I rather have the feeling that he will go to the end of his projects, even if it means plunging the Russian economy into the abyss. The important thing is to reach his objectives whatever it costs for his ...

Hi Ilya -- Did you see the below re Foreign Service? best, j

https://jb42frabel.blogspot.com/2026/04/politics-state-department-overhauls.html

Politics [:] State Department overhauls Foreign Service Officer Test, introduces "America First" foreign policy lectures

Image
By Ibrahim Aksoy   April 1, 2026 / 4:43 PM EDT  / CBS News ; Below image (not from article) from   1927 Chicago mayoral  The State Department announced Wednesday that it is modifying the Foreign Service Officer Test to reflect the foreign policy goals of the Trump administration and meet "the challenges of the 21st century." Under the new guidance, the exam is now revised to emphasize "merit in the selection process" by eliminating questions "intended to test alignment with the diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda." "The Trump administration is modernizing the Foreign Service to prepare America's diplomats to advocate for our national interest on a dynamically changing world stage," Tommy Pigott, the Department's deputy spokesperson, said in a statement. "In this revamped program, Foreign Service Officers will be trained in crucial skills like public speaking and negotiation and engage with international relations theory on topics...