Exclusive: The Russiagate narrative has taken a turn toward the surreal with a report in the New York Times alleging that U.S. spies paid a “shadowy Russian” $100,000 for dirt on the president, explains Daniel Lazare. By Daniel Lazare A Russian national with ties to cybercrime and Russian intelligence snookered U.S. spooks …

Tony Devon This Thursday, Russia and 14 other countries that formerly comprised the USSR will commemorate the 29th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). The conflict, which spanned over nine years, was a major escalation point in the Cold War and its …

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK   The jihadists in Egypt’s Northern Sinai had killed hundreds of soldiers and police officers, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, briefly seized a major town and begun setting up armed checkpoints to claim territory. In late 2015, they brought down a Russian passenger jet. Egypt appeared unable to stop them, so Israel, …

Damascus, by Elijah J. Magnier: Decision makers in Damascus said “Syria and its allies have decided to move more harshly against Israel, replicating Hezbollah’s strategy in those days (the 90’s), before the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. For every violation of Lebanese airspace over the capital Beirut, Hezbollah would fire heavy …