RFE/RL in the Media
# Azerbaijani political prisoner Anar Mammadly to receive Vaclav Havel prize, panorama.am
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan Is Sworn In, Even as He Shares the Stage, NYT
# Peaceful progress in Afghanistan, Telergraph
# Ashraf Ghani’s Struggle, FP
# Fundamental Rights and the Kashmiri Refugee Vote, foreignpolicyjournal.com
# Don’t Let Pakistan’s Military Hijack Democracy – Haider Ali Hussein Mullick, The Diplomat
# Pakistan Seeks Improved Ties With New Afghan Leader, WSJ
Iraq/Syria
# Obama’s Islamic State Blame Game, FP
# U.S.-led forces strike Islamic State again in Syria, Iraq, LAT
# Isis an hour away from Baghdad – with no sign of Iraq army being able to make a successful counter-attack, Independent
# Islamic State crisis: Iraq air strikes ‘halt IS advance’, BBC
# Obama’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ moment – Marc A. Thiessen, WP
# Residents of Kobane, Syria, flee to Turkish border after Islamic State attacks, WP
# The Real Danger From ISIS Is The Distraction From Russia And China, Forbes
Iran
# Iran executes man for heresy, Guardian
# Iran Says It’s Willing to Fight ISIS, for a Price, Newsweek
# Israeli Leader Says Iran Nuclear Program, Islamic State Twin Threat, WSJ
# Iran must halt imminent execution of 26-year-old woman, AI
Central Asia
# The United States’ Silk Road to Nowhere, FP
# Tired of Tajikistan’s Deplorable Schools, Parents Want Russian, Eurasianet
# In Authoritarian Tajikistan, New Fatwa Condemns Criticism as “Sin”, Eurasianet
Russia
# Russia and NATO Should Be Allies, Not Enemies – Nicolai Petro, Robert Ware, MT
# As crises flare in Iraq and Syria, Putin presses – editorial, Chicago Tribune
# Russia’s ‘Potemkin Village’ Elections – Jill Dougherty, Huffington Post
# What Putin Wrought Has World Asking What Russia Might Have Been – Simon Kennedy and Henry Meyer, Bloomberg
# Lavrov suggests a ‘reset’ with West. Does Russia mean it this time? – CSM
# Russia Calls for Joint Effort With U.S. to Fight Islamic State, MT
# Adopted From Russia, Just Days Before the Ban, NYT
# Merkel Says EU ‘Very Far Away’ From Lifting Sanctions Against Russia, WSJ
Ukraine
# Germany Will Play Decisive Role in Ukraine – Stefan Meister, MT
# Financial Chernobyl Threatens Kiev’s Moderates – Vladimir Fedorin, MT
# Ukraine must push ahead with reform – Dmytro Shymkiv, FT
# Ukraine Firms Launch Trade Body, WSJ
# Ukraine Government Forces Clash With Rebels in Donetsk, WSJ
# Renewed Fighting Around Donetsk Airport Tests Ukraine Cease-Fire, NYT
# Ukrainians just pulled down a massive Lenin statue. What does that signal for Russia? – Michael Birnbaum, WP
Of Interest
# Population growth is as potentially catastrophic as climate change. So why aren’t we talking about it? – Michael McCarthy, Independent
# Yes, the iPhone 6 is a miracle, but it’s Apple’s tax affairs that deserve a double take, Independent
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