By Anthony Russell As Russian forces took Crimea in late February, commentators repeatedly emphasized the Ukrainian peninsula’s strategic importance as a warm-water port. Meanwhile, the rapidly growing importance of Arctic waters is sometimes overlooked. The polar ice cap, now 40 percent smaller than it was 35 years ago (PDF), will continue to thaw in the coming decades, … [Read more...]
West Imposes Russian Sanctions After Crimea Votes to Secede
By James G. Neuger, Stepan Kravchenko and Indira A.R. Lakshmanan March 17 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia in their worst dispute since the Cold War after a vote paved the way for President Vladimir Putin to annex Crimea from Ukraine. EU foreign ministers agreed to freeze assets and impose visa travel bans on 21 Russians and … [Read more...]