“Wake up! They’ve come!” A Russian-led invasion force riding tanks had rolled into Prague, crushing reform hopes and deepening the Cold War divide. A Soviet tank moves into Wenceslas Square in Prague, 21 August 1968.(AP Photo/Peter Winterbach) This article is part of...
Visiting Ukraine, would I find a grim, tense nation shaking off its Soviet past and at war with itself? I discovered a vibrant society and hopeful youth. “Heavenly Hundred” Memorial. (Photo by Bernd Debusmann, Jr.) Landing in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev...
We asked News-Decoder correspondents for their thoughts and reminiscences about Fidel Castro following the death of the Cuban leader. “Alcohol and music have been banned for nine days.” – Malcolm Davidson I was in Cuba when when news of...
Vladimir Putin is a product of Russian society and power-hungry friends. But the West has helped make him what he is by its treatment of Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, with his predecessor and former mentor, Boris Yeltsin, at the Kremlin, Moscow, 7...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Pauline Bock They share a common history and culture. They speak the same language. But they have been divided for...