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Richard Solash

Also by Richard Solash

November 16, 2011
Confirmation Of New U.S. Envoy To Moscow Blocked By Partisan Politics

The nomination of Michael McFaul to be Washington's new ambassador in Moscow has been delayed after a Republican congressman issued an objection on an unrelated issue. More objections are also likely, as the nomination becomes an avenue for Republicans to express their opposition to Obama's Russia policy.
November 15, 2011
U.S. Congressman Pledges To Push For ICC Indictment Of Belarusian President Lukashenka

A senior member of U.S. Congress has pledged to push the Obama administration to support Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's indictment by the International Criminal Court. Representative Chris Smith made the pledge at a congressional hearing that heard dramatic testimony by former Belarusian presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich, who told the committee that he was tortured while in prison.
October 12, 2011
White House Nominee For Ambassador To Russia Vows Deep Support For Civil Society

U.S. President Barack Obama’s pick for new ambassador to Moscow has vowed to expand the "reset" in U.S.-Russian relations despite looming challenges and pledged redoubled efforts to support civil society.
October 08, 2011
Siberian Yeti Conference Seeks Out Elusive Hominid

Since yeti sightings are on the rise in Kemerovo, the regional town of Tashtagol was chosen to host an international conference recently on the sought-after beast.
October 06, 2011
Syrian Activist Honored In Anna Politkovskaya's Name On Eve Of Murder Anniversary

Syrian Activist Honored In Anna Politkovskaya's Name On Eve Of Murder Anniversary
September 30, 2011
In Joining Bolshoi, American Dancer Makes Historic Leap

When David Hallberg becomes the first American in history to leap onto the Bolshoi Ballet stage in November, he will do so with echoes of Soviet defectors in the background and a chance to leave his mark on one of the jewels of Russian culture.
September 20, 2011
U.S. Military's Gay Ban Formally Lifted

The U.S. policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military has officially ended and advocacy groups and government officials alike have hailed the milestone as the beginning of a new era for the American armed services and civil rights. President Barack Obama said the end of the policy known as, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" means the country has taken another "great step" toward fulfilling its founding ideals.
August 12, 2011
Russia Charges 2 In Magnitsky Death

Russia has charged two prison doctors over the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in jail in 2009 after implicating high-ranking government officials in a massive scheme to defraud the government.
August 11, 2011
As It Cleans Up After Riots, Britain Looks For Answers

Four nights of rioting by youths in cities across Britain have left the country stunned and searching for answers. Prime Minister David Cameron has attributed the violence to simple criminality but others see social problems related to economic disparity and racial tensions.
August 04, 2011
U.S. Bans Rights Abusers

U.S. President Barack Obama has announced a ban on entry into the United States for people who the State Department finds have been involved in serious human rights violations. The move comes alongside a new White House plan to try and prevent genocide and other atrocities.
August 03, 2011
Belarus Opposition Leaders Hail U.S. Senators' Tough Stance On Lukashenka

Leading opposition figures in Belarus have welcomed a letter by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators urging the Obama administration to oppose an International Monetary Fund bailout request from the government of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
July 29, 2011
Moment Of Truth Approaches In U.S. Debt Ceiling Crisis

The United States, the world’s largest economy, is now staring down the unthinkable. Unless bickering lawmakers can agree to raise the amount of money the government can borrow, Washington will soon run out of cash to pay its bills -- an event that could send shockwaves through the global economy.
July 26, 2011
U.S. Imposes Visa Bans On Russian Officials Connected To Magnitsky Death

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has imposed visa bans on Russian officials connected to the 2009 prison death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. The move comes as a more aggressive measure to sanction those officials is being considered in Congress, and amid concern that U.S. action could endanger the hard-won ‘reset’ of relations with Moscow.
July 19, 2011
U.S. Promotes New Plan To Battle Drug Trade In Afghanistan, Central Asia, Russia

Counternarcotics officials in Washington have unveiled a plan to help combat the flow of drugs from Afghanistan, through Central Asia, and into Russia -- and in doing so, ease fears that the impending withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan could play into the hands of drug traffickers.
July 06, 2011
Obama Hosts First Twitter Town Hall

U.S. President Barack Obama has held his first ever "town hall" meeting with Americans via the popular microblogging site Twitter. Fielding digitally submitted questions and even sending a tweet himself, Obama warned of dire consequences if lawmakers do not raise the national debt ceiling.
June 30, 2011
U.S. Focused On Al-Qaeda's 'Demise'

The strategy was unveiled in a speech at Washington's Johns Hopkins University by John Brennan, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser. He suggested the United States would carefully select from its offensive, defensive, and diplomatic toolboxes to target Al-Qaeda where it's vulnerable, combat homegrown extremism, and make sure terrorists don't profit from turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa.
June 23, 2011
Kazan Summit: Time For Breakthrough In Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Process?

After years of negotiations with minimal results, the time may be right for a breakthrough in efforts to resolve to conflict between Baku and Yerevan over the breakaway Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. But even if the sides agree on basic principles for resolution at the June 24-25 meeting in Kazan, the road ahead is fraught with challenges.
June 18, 2011
Dictionary Of Ancient Akkadian Provides Glimpse Into Civilization’s Cradle

The dictionary, which spans some 10,000 pages in 21 volumes, took no less than nine decades to complete. In the process, it outlived some of the nearly 100 scholars who devoted their careers to it.
June 16, 2011
Gates Cites Afghan Success, Challenges

In his final press conference as U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates declined to say whether the United States was "winning" in Afghanistan, but he did say that that the military was "being successful in implementing the president's strategy." He also said that Al-Qaeda's newly appointed replacement for Osama bin Laden will face "challenges."
June 16, 2011
Gates: U.S. Failed To Listen To Karzai

Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that Washington has often been guilty of not paying enough heed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai during the war in Afghanistan that has been continuing for almost a decade.

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