Soviet Union
latest news & developments
Oliver Tambo: The quiet architect of liberation and the Moses of a nation in exile
The ANC president was the quiet architect of liberation, carrying a people through the long wilderness of exile, sustaining hope when the promised land seemed impossibly distant
From the US-led rules-based order to multipolar international law
Recently, Canada’s PM Mark Carney declared the end of the rules-based order. It was an outstanding speech. Yet, US unilateralism first soared in the 1980s. The rest of the West…
Azerbaijan marks the 36th Black January
On the night of 19 January the Soviet army occupied the cities of Azerbaijan and an unprecedented massacre took place
Russia’s new old imperialism
It takes true evil to send unwitting, unprepared young men, complete strangers to the whole Ukraine-Russia context, into Europe’s worst meat grinder since World War Two
Say goodbye to 80s disco in PE? Never!
Fifty years ago, disco started having an impact. Its influence was felt even in apartheid South Africa
20 January – The National Mourning Day and a turning point in the restoration of the independence of Azerbaijan
This year marks the 34th anniversary of ‘Black January’ — the tragic incident that happened on 20 January 1990 in Azerbaijan
Honouring the memory of the national leader and the foundational architect of Azerbaijan’s independence, strong statehood and prosperity
The Year of Heydar Aliyev commemorates a leader who always protected the interests of the people of his country
Democracy is worth defending in the face of multiple attacks from Russia and Iran to North Korea and the US
Authoritarian would-be emperors such as Putin and Jinping and the US’s military-industrial complex erode the open society and its values of individual freedoms
The legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR
He was probably its only truly humane one and has died at a time when political repression in his native Russia has become stifling once more
Russia’s war on Ukraine could turn private
The expanding use of private military and security companies in recent years suggests that they may take a leading role as the Ukraine conflict develops
OPINION | Putin is steeped in Stalin’s pitiless violence
The Russian leader has brought with him from the Soviet era the belief that might is right and that the individual can be sacrificed to the gods of ideology
SADC needs to form a security alliance
In the light of Africa’s history and in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reflecting the East/West divide, the Southern African Development Community must be concerned about security
South Africa can damn Putin and stay non-aligned in the West
South Africa’s silence on Russian aggression is a blot on its commitment to international law and our country’s history
Russia-Ukraine: Discretion is the better part of valour for South Africa
The Russian invasion has sparked debate in South Africa, with many misguidedly concluding that Moscow is a natural ally of the country. This is not rooted in contemporary…
Ukraine: SA’s feeble response betrays its own history
Aggressive, as opposed to defensive, warfare is a violation of international law. It is this that was used to condemn the apartheid South African Defence Force’s incursions into…