Topic: Joseph Stalin
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Briefing
Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism
The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
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10 coffee table books that make great gifts
Stuck for a present for that friend that's hard to shop for? Check out one of these gorgeous coffee table books.
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North Korea not the only offender: 6 official photo fudgings
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Commencement 2011: what 10 eminent speakers told graduates
All Content
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Briefing
Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism
The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
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Chechen identity looms over Boston Marathon bombing suspects
If true that the two suspects were raised in Chechnya, its warrior tradition - which stresses male independence and defiance of authority - would likely have shaped their childhood.
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Energy Voices Climate change deniers strike out – even in energy-rich Kansas
States, not Congress, are taking the lead on climate change laws – from a new cap-and-trade program in California to widespread adoption of renewable electricity standards. Moves to weaken those standards aren't gaining traction in state capitals.
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The catch in North Korea's scrapping of Korean War cease-fire: China
North Korea's declaration that the armistice is 'null and void' overlooks the significant point that China is also a signatory – and that it's not saying anything about nullifying it.
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The Monitor's View: In Syria, US mission creep with moral creep
President Obama is leaning toward providing nonlethal military equipment to certain rebels in Syria. Doing so runs moral risks. But doing nothing to stop the violence is also a moral risk. Can the US walk this fine line?
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What's in a name? Russian city mulls returning to its Stalinist moniker.
Volgograd will temporarily revert to its former name, Stalingrad, in commemoration of its WWII Soviet victory. But some see it as a Trojan horse for glorification of Stalinist times.
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NRA coming to White House: Will there be fireworks?
On Thursday, the nation's biggest gun-rights organization will be represented at a meeting on gun violence with Vice President Joe Biden. The NRA's presence makes both sides look open-minded.
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10 coffee table books that make great gifts
Stuck for a present for that friend that's hard to shop for? Check out one of these gorgeous coffee table books.
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Keep Calm Good Reads: Volcanoes, guillotines, and the key to happiness
A look at modern France, and a profile of revolutionary villain Maximilien Robespierre; the American recovery and the very happy people of Iceland. Here are this week's good reads.
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The Daily Reckoning Washington elites talk the new 'US empire'
A Washington garden party serves as a think tank hothouse, providing the Daily Reckoning with some interesting insights into the current US situation. Representing a variety of backgrounds, the group was united by a hatred of the US "empire."
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Peter Carl Fabergé: How Communism crushed the Faberge egg
Peter Carl Fabergé created a jeweled-egg empire, commemorated Wednesday by a Google doodle. But as the Russian Revolution toppled the Czar, it also upended the famous line of Imperial Faberge eggs.
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Liberation Square
Egyptian journalist Ashraf Khalil brings insight and thorough reporting to his account of the end of the Hosni Mubarak government.
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North Korea not the only offender: 6 official photo fudgings
As state manipulators of the media go, few can compare to North Korea, which this week is mourning the death of Kim Jong-il. But even with all the careful orchestration of the ceremonies, the North Korean media still found it necessary to doctor an official photograph of the funeral procession. Just as governments are finding it easier to use technology to manipulate images, so too is the public finding it easier to spot such digital trickery. Here are six noteworthy attempts by governments to shape media coverage through image manipulation.
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George F. Kennan: An American Life
John Lewis Gaddis's biography is an important examination of a man who shaped the current American way of life.
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Could Iran copy the 'beast'? US aircraft have been reverse-engineered before
Let’s dial back to July 31, 1944, when a B-29 heavy bomber nicknamed Ramp Tramp ended up making an emergency landing at a Soviet base in Vladivostok.
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Periodic table to welcome two new elements
Livermorium and flerovium could soon occupy the 114 and 116 spots on the periodic table of the elements. The names for the elements, which were synthesized a decade ago, were announced Thursday by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
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Putin's next marquee moment: Russia's presidency
Vladimir Putin is almost certain to return as Russia's president next March. Is this Russian-style democracy or evidence of the country's reversion to authoritarian traditions?
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Russia's Bolshoi Theater back from the brink of destruction
The iconic Bolshoi Theater, home to the famed ballet and opera troupes, reopens its doors today after a nearly $1 billion renovation to restore the once-crumbling theater to its 19th-century glory.
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Tax the rich: Should millionaires really pay more?
The fight over raising levies on the wealthy, a theme of the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests, is about more than money. It's a clash over fundamental American values.
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Opinion: The cost of a Putin presidency 2.0 in Russia
When Putin returns to the presidency next year, it will mean stability in Russia. But that comes at a cost – stagnation, as Russia groans under autocracy, corruption, cronyism, and social ills. The US must be realistic about Russia's strengths and weaknesses.
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Estonia's rise, encapsulated in a piano's history
A piano of Estonian origin, bearing the country's name, was popular in the Soviet Union but lost its prestige when the empire collapsed. A young pianist is now reviving its image.
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Google's gift to Red Square's St. Basil Cathedral: a doodle
Moscow marks the 450-year anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral, the iconic church built in Red Square to honor Ivan the Terrible's victory over Russia's former Tatar conquerors.
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How Russians survived militant atheism to embrace God
Today, less than 20 years after the collapse of the officially atheistic Soviet Union, Russia has emerged as the most God-believing nation in Europe. That's a testament to the devotion of babushkas who kept the flames of faith alive in the face of state-sponsored repression.
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Commencement 2011: what 10 eminent speakers told graduates
"Follow your bliss." "You can be whatever you want to be." "Never give up." Google reveals those three platitudes to be the ones most often spoken at commencements, according to Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time magazine. Many speakers, however – including Mr. Stengel – offered more insightful advice to college graduates this spring. Here are the Monitor's hand-picked highlights from the 2011 season.
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