Russia

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Ukraine to Russia: in addition to Greater Russia, there is Holy Rus. Now the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is independent, which has the potential to be a seminal event in the history of both countries.

What on the surface seems simply an esoteric argument over ecclesiastical jurisdiction is anything but. At the heart of the schism lie the ideological underpinnings for Putin’s new nationalism, and its violent manifestations in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Putin, like the czars and boyars of old Russia, is a kleptocrat and tyrant who torments his opponents, sometimes murders them, represses voices of dissent, exploits religion, shamelessly deploys propaganda, presides over a labyrinth of espionage and manipulation, and warily views the world as vicious and zero-sum.

Trump’s recent trip to Brussels, the UK, and Helsinki for the now infamous Putin summit has the president appearing in a different light

Russia and Iran are coordinating to prop up Assad in Syria but this could bring Iran one step closer to war with Israel.

Christians should not be overly concerned about Trump meeting Putin, for now at least.

What are America’s objectives with Russia? Most chatter about the Trump-Putin summit focuses on their personalities and Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. We at Providence, as Christian “realists” and Americans, prefer to identify strategic goals that enhance American security and global equilibrium.

Before the World Cup even began, soccer had become political and Russia was at the center of it.

There is no nation in which we can place total faith.