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Confessions of a Kremlin troll: How I meddled in the 2016 US election and made Trump win
I was a Putin’s troll and I wrote a fake story in support of Donald Trump in September 2016, two months before the elections. And not only that: I used the Facebook ads system to promote the article on the territory of the USA so that the text where I was posing a middle-aged life-long… Continue reading
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War with Russia is at the root of contemporary Ukrainian identity
Русская версия здесь In Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, you hear the Russian language almost everywhere, even among young people. Roughly every second inhabitant of the capital, according to a conservative estimate, will probably be likely to speak Russian rather than Ukrainian in his everyday life. There is an increasing group of young Ukrainians, though,… Continue reading
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10 reasons why you should not be a journalist
Why give people reasons not to do something? Well, one of the basic skills of journalism is supposed to be adherence to factfulness or realism. When young people choose a profession these days, they generally do not do it out of mere calculation, weighting in rationally all the pro and contra arguments: they are almost… Continue reading
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Comparing Putin and Hitler is absurd meme thinking
This of course should have been made very very clearly a long time ago. More than fours after the beginning of the conflict in and around Ukraine, there are still people making parallels between the actions of Hitler’s Germany in late 1930’s and Putin’s Russia actions in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution of 2014.… Continue reading
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Comment is free – but what is free is often cheap too
The press conference after the Trump – Putin summit in Helsinki, as we know now, was not in general received very well but the US media, an point of view that was promptly adopted by their European counterparts. Many looked at the conference as if waiting for a revelationary moment, with the whole world, as… Continue reading
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Geopolitics and media bias
Is there bias in Western media? Some would argue, of course, bias is inevitable. Some would argue, no, media in the West is by definition free of external influence, high-professionalized and objective, anybody who is stating the opposite is falling for conspiracy theories or Russian propaganda. A recent paper, conducted by the Peace Research Institute… Continue reading
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“Batı’nın ekonomik ve politik gücünün gerileyişinin Trump’la bir bağlantısı yok” – Ibrahim Varlı ile röportaj
English version East & West: Merhaba Sayın Varlı, Batı, Yükselen Doğu ve diğer güçler (Güney Amerika gibi) arasındaki güç mücadelesini konu alan “Hegemonya Savaşı” isimli bir kitap yazdınız. “Doğu” dediğiniz kimler? Ve “Doğu” “Batı” ’nın üstünlüğünü nasıl tehdit ediyor? Ibrahim Varlı: Doğu’nun neresi olduğu, ya da Doğu’nun sınırlarının nereden başladığına dair tartışmaların geçmişi bir hayli eski.… Continue reading
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“The decline of the West has nothing to do with Trump” – interview with Ibrahim Varlı, author of “The War of Hegemony”
Türk sürümü East & West: Mr Varlı, you have written a book called the “War of Hegemony”, about the struggle for power between the West and a rising East and other powers like for example South America. Who is the East and how is the East threatening the supremacy of the West? Ibrahim Varlı: The… Continue reading
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Letter to the friends who love the European Union
Dear friends who love the European Union, I used to be, just like you are now, a very passionate Europhile and I was full of enthusiasm for the idea of a united Europe. Having grown up with the teachings of history from half a century earlier still very present in my mind, I thought that… Continue reading
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Are we more brainwashed than North Koreans?
It is widely acknowledged that in North Korea the people are subjected to constant brainwashing by the state. There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence of how the regime uses media and various social media, by which it maintains a firm grip on the minds of its citizens- But could it in fact be true… Continue reading
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Abortion referendum in Ireland: is Ireland finally entering the 21st century?
On the 26th of May Ireland overwhelmingly voted to repeal the 8th amendment, allowing abortion for pregnancies within the first three months following conception. The result was an undisputedly resounding victory for the “Yes” campaign, achieved with record turnout, hence confirming the will of the Irish people. While the new law does not take effect… Continue reading
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“In Hollywood films, Russians are villains, gangsters, mafia bosses, corrupt oligarchs or prostitutes”, interview on Russophobia with Dominic Basulto
East & West: You have written a book called “Russophobia” on how Western media uses Russia to create the picture of an enemy (you can find the book here). How do you explain this phenomenon in a few sentences? Because these people, journalists and other media experts, generally are not exactly the picture of modesty… Continue reading
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Как писать про Россию
English version: How to Write About Russia Практичные советы для молодых писателей и журналистов: как стать мастером в популярном литературном жанре «Статьи о России» В Европе и США принято говорить и думать, что быть журналистом в России – невероятно адская работа. Вам повезло, если вы остаетесь в живых… Вероятно, Россия действительно является одним из самых… Continue reading
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The golden era of humanity
Today we live in times of great uncertainty. And still there is a sense, particularly among those living in the West, that we have never had it so good. Conditioning this optimistic sense is a firm belief that the liberal world, order irrespective of the odd setback, will eventually fulfill an eschatological promise of universal… Continue reading
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«Жанна Д’Арк» украинской политики
Что стоит за «заговором Савченко»? Всю вторую половину марта украинскую политику лихорадило политическое шоу под названием «дело Савченко». Вчерашняя героиня, в поддержку которой еще два года назад активно выступали многие парламентарии ЕС, вдруг превратилась в «террористку». Еще недавно европейские политики требовали ее освобождения из «тюрьмы путинского режима», поднимая плакаты с хэштегом #FreeSavchenko. Атлантический совет США… Continue reading
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Are IMF loans helping Ukraine?
Руссая версия A few weeks ago, a delegation of the International Monetary Fund visited Ukraine with the purpose of assessing the conditions and requirements for a further $ 1 billion loan. A four-year program of financial assistance from the IMF is in place for Ukraine, for a total of $ 17.5 billion. In March 2015,… Continue reading
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Миротворцы на Донбассе: в чем суть разногласий
На проходившей Мюнхенской конференции по безопасности обсуждался также вопрос о введении миротворческой миссии на Донбасс. Однако стороны так и не смогли согласовать и договориться по поводу формата этой миссии. Вопрос остался открытым, а военные действия вдоль линии разграничения на Донбассе продолжаются, практически ежедневно унося чью-то жизнь. Война длится уже четыре года и конца ей, похоже,… Continue reading
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Is Italian media pro-Russian?
The recent statements by former US Vice President Joe Biden on the alleged Russian influence in Italian constitutional referendum of December 2016 have made the issue of Russian propaganda in Italy once again relevant. The elections will take place in a month and the polls for the moment see the center right solidly in the… Continue reading
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Помогают ли кредиты от МВФ Украине на самом деле?
English version Очередной визит делегации МВФ в Украине должна решить вопрос о дальнейшем выделении Киеву кредитов. В этот раз цена вопроса – 1 миллиард долларов. На Украине действует четырехлетняя программа финансовой помощи МВФ, которая предусматривает выделение 17,5 миллиарда долларов. В марте 2015 года был перечислен первый транш в 5 миллиардов долларов, в августе того же года… Continue reading
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I media italiani sono pro russi?
Le recenti affermazioni dell’ex vice Presidente americano Joe Biden sulla presunta influenza russa nel referendum sulla riforma costituzionale del dicembre 2016 hanno reso di nuovo attuale il tema della propaganda russa in Italia. Le elezioni che avranno luogo tra un mese ed i sondaggi che per il momento vedono il centro destra solidamente in testa,… Continue reading
EAST AND WEST 