David E. Hoffman
@thedeadhandbook
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Wash Post editorial writer. The Oligarchs (‘02) The Dead Hand (‘09) The Billion Dollar Spy (‘15) Give Me Liberty (‘22)
Joined September 2009
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One man's struggle against a totalitarian system -- GIVE ME LIBERTY is out next week. Here's a peek. More at
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Alexei Navalny, imprisoned in a hellish penal colony, is thinking about the future -- after Putin. This is what moral courage and vision look like.
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My friends Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, who came of age in glasnost and perestroika, wrote at the end of their spectacular book The Red Web, "We are indebted to Mikhail Gorbachev, who did more than anyone else to free information in our country." Exactly.
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Alexei Navalny has an indomitable spirit. Read this from solitary confinement.
1/15 Hi! Don't laugh, but I'm back in the SHU. They let me out Sunday night, and Monday afternoon they locked me up again, making no secret of the fact that I won't be getting out of this hole again. I finally know what I'm in jail for though! In this regard, a little statement.
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My obituary of Mr. Gorbachev in The Post.
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Dictators are learning from each other — and holding on to power. The next installment of “Annals of Autocracy,” in The Washington Post. Authoritarian leaders want nothing more than to survive — and they are succeeding.
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Thousands of young people are imprisoned for nothing more than a click—a new generation of political prisoners. Free speech is not a crime. See the names and faces, and a new Washington Post editorial:
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In Wuhan, doctors knew the truth. They were told to keep quiet. The latest in The Post’s editorial series, Annals of Autocracy—a look at the disastrous January coverup.
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The
@NSArchive
has now completed an extraordinary project: translating to English the entire diary of Anatoly Chernyaev, who became Mikhail Gorbachev's foreign policy advisor. The final installment covers 1984. A tremendous resource.
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Rana Ayyub on the frontlines with courageous journalists in Kashmir. A must read.
I have a ground report from Kashmir dedicated to the incredibly courageous, unsung journalists from the state and a population that stepped out to vote in large numbers. What is the truth of Modi’s Naya Kashmir ? For the ones who spoke at great risk !
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The new FRUS on Jimmy Carter's presidency reveals there were seven U.S. nuclear false alarms in 1960s and up to 1978. Two more were to come soon.
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I’m thrilled to share the cover of my forthcoming book, Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswald Payá and His Daring Quest for a Free Cuba, out June 21 from Simon & Schuster. Payá was a champion of democracy in Castro’s dictatorship, and persuaded thousands to join him.
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The War Scare of 1983: Newly released documents show Soviets loaded nuclear weapons on planes in Cold War standoff
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Journalism is not a crime.
BREAKING
@Reuters
producer Konstantin Gabov was just sent to pre-trial detention in Moscow, accused of “participating in an extremist community” for preparing content earlier for Navalny LIVE YouTube channel
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There’s a special moment when, after years of work, the book finally arrives in a box—and it happened today. GIVE ME LIBERTY will be out June 21 and is available for pre-order. One man’s incredible quest.
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@benjaminwittes
The cutaway in the back of the museum explaining what happened is a lesson that should be taught in every IR and engineeering class. Also, says a lot about a country that builds a museum and pours effort into examining a mistake. One of the most important museums in the world.
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This is our Pearl Harbor moment. Trump will never learn the lessons. We still can.
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Journalism is not a crime.
#Belarus
My dear friend and the brave journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva will be on trial tomorrow. Again. This time, the regime accused her of "state treason," punishable by 15 years in jail, for her excellent reporting. I ask you for your support. Please, tweet,write,raise her case
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Wonderful book night at Books&Books in Coral Gables. Special thanks to to Rosa María Payá Acevedo and Ofelia Acevedo Maura for their powerful introduction to Give Me Liberty, moderated by Vanessa Garcia. In that packed room, you could feel the ideals and hopes of Oswaldo Payá.
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Today marks 11 years since the deaths of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero in a suspicious car wreck in Cuba. They represented hope for change from within, for freedom from an unrelenting dictatorship. Oswaldo’s legacy is plain to see: that hope still burns.
One man's struggle against a totalitarian system -- GIVE ME LIBERTY is out next week. Here's a peek. More at
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A good, informed thread about Russian nuclear weapons launch procedures, a topic that is shrouded in unknowns.
Can Russia's president launch nuclear weapons alone? The honest answer is "we don't know." A short answer is "probably." A longer answer is "it's complicated." A longish thread that may (or may not) help clarify things 1/
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A nuclear weapon has not been used in combat since 1945. Will Putin change that? A Wash Post editorial points out that his words are dangerous.
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The pandemic didn’t come out of nowhere. The U.S. ignored the warnings. A Washington Post editorial.
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From solitary confinement, Alexey Navalny declares, “surely the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will become something commonplace and not at all dangerous in Russia.” An indomitable spirit and inspiration. Read his birthday message.
It's my birthday today. When I woke up, I joked to myself that I can now add the SHIZO to the list of places where I've celebrated it over the years. And then, like many other people who reach a certain age (I've turned 47 today, wow), I though about my I thought about my
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Fascinating new release of documents about Yeltsin vs. the parliament 30 years ago. Essential reading for Russia hands. via
@nsarchive
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Very important new book on Russia and Putin is out this week: “Putin’s People” by Catherine Belton: “Belton’s new book is a staggering achievement of reporting...”
Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West
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Oswaldo Payá would have been 71 today had he not been killed for his courage and activism. He believed Cubans should be protagonists of their own history--not the spectators. The singular power of the Varela Project: people lost their fear. The spirit of his struggle lives on.
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An official U.S. history published by the State Dept revealed much new information about the 1983 Cold War nuclear scare. Now a federal judge orders official history put back in the “secret” vault. His reasons are “admittedly cryptic.”
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From The Post: Bruce Blair, leading voice for nuclear arms control, dies at age 72
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The U.S. built up Ukraine’s bio labs. Russia twisted it into a vast lie. Part II of Annals of Autocracy, a Wash Post editorial.
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Cuba is far more fragile than you think. Abraham Jimenez Enoa in The Wash Post.
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3 million dead and we know zero about how it began. Time for a real investigation.
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Oswaldo Paya w/David E. Hoffman [podcast] -
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Newly published: Foreign Relations of the US, 1981-1988, Vol. 5, SOVIET UNION: March 1985 to October 1986, the critical early years of Reagan and Gorbachev:
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Well, this is cool -- The Billion Dollar Spy made Foreign Policy’s Summer Reading List - Our columnists and reporters’ top picks, from a 16th-century treatise to a ’90s fantasy novel.
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This book is going to be the sensation of the autumn, and this excerpt shows why.
How a friendship forged on the tennis courts of the Houston Country Club launched James Baker to the highest echelon of power in Washington. A
@TexasMonthly
excerpt from our new book, "THE MAN WHO RAN WASHINGTON"
@sbg1
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@benjaminwittes
“Why did you build the ship so narrow, so badly and without enough bottom that it capsized?” Replied the shipwright, Henrik Jacobsson, “I did what I was told.”
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Words can’t convey Fred Hiatt’s commitment to democracy, human rights and dignity, fairness, accountability — and compassion. The editorial board’s appreciation:
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They are all nuclear weapons—read Pavel’s excellent distillation of tactical vs. strategic.
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion about 'tactical' nuclear weapons, their potential use, 'lower nuclear threshold,' etc. That's my strong impression from the kinds of questions that I've been getting. I don't claim to have all answers, but here is my take 1/
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Free speech and protest is not a crime. THIS is criminal.
Today in
#Belarus
, a 59-years old businessman Mikalai Autukhovich was sentenced to 25 years in a colony, Uladzimir Hundar, a disabled man without a leg - to 18 years, and Siarhei Rezanovich, a priest - to 16 years. A total of 12 people on "terrorist case"⬇️
#westandbyyou
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The dictators are resilient and helping each other. See Wash Post editorial recently: and this very good piece in the Wall St Journal.
Decades ago, when tyrants faced serious pressure, they could take their money and decamp in France. Now, facing international justice, they do everything they can to remain in power, including working with each other across continents,
@WSJ
reports.
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Henry Rowe, who invented the CIA's "Jack in the Box" used in Moscow during the Tolkachev operation, has passed away at 88.
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Today's National Security Archive
@nsarchive
posting on the recent FRUS volume of the Carter years includes some telling side-by-side comparison examples of declassification.
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This is a leader.
I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Brent Renaud who lost his life while documenting the ruthlessness & evil inflicted upon 🇺🇦 people by Russia. May Brent’s life & sacrifice inspire the world to stand up in fight for the forces of light against forces of darkness.
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A great interview with Yevgenia Albats
@albats
—a remarkable powerhouse of independent journalism in Russia, who now has left.
"Any coup needs a mechanism. You can’t just have one guy among the elites call another guy and say, Hey, let’s go slit VVP’s throat. It doesn’t work like that."
The legendary
@albats
on why she thinks a junta will replace Putin as soon as the spring.
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The Russian cruiser that sank today was the Slava in Soviet days, and scene of a joint missile warhead verification exercise in July 1989 led by
@tbcochran
of NRDC. In one extraordinary glasnost moment, hatch was opened on nuclear-armed cruise missile.
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But come on, James Stejskal, the “snake eater chronicles” deserved something more original. Left, new novel. Right, my 2009 book, nonfiction, “The Dead Hand.”
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There was "serious and sufficient evidence to conclude that State agents participated in the death" of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero in Cuba in 2012:
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Ash Carter made a visionary presentation in 1991 at a Senate breakfast, warning Nunn, Lugar that nuclear weapons control systems could not be isolated from the unfolding Soviet chaos. His words galvanized them to action—and made the world safer. RIP.
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The case of Oswaldo Payá’s death in Cuba is not closed
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Vladimir Kara-Murza is wrongfully detained. Time for the U.S. to say so.
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The CDC has gone silent. Its voice must be restored. A Washington Post editorial
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This is a huge gain for VOA — Abramowitz is a journalist of high caliber and understands the challenges of global information.
After 7+ years of distinguished service, FH president
@abramowitz
will leave in May to lead
@VOANews
.
@NicBibSed
will serve as interim president as board co-chairs
@JaneHarmanCA
& Wendell Willkie II lead a national search for new leadership.
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Russians increasingly resist Putin’s war — Vladimir Kara-Mirzayanov writes from prison, in The Washington Post.
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An important scoop from
@CatherineBelton
about how Russian trolls target U.S. support for Ukraine—based on the Kremlin’s own documents.
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Remember the soaring optimism of the early 1990s and Russia? Read this new briefing book from
@nsarchive
and weep at how much has been lost.
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After nearly three years in solitary, facing prosecution demands for 20 more years in prison for "extremism," Navalny proves eloquent and unbowed.
Alexey Navalny's last word in his "extremism" trial with English subtitles:
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A concise collection of documents about the end of the Soviet Union, 30 years later, from
@NSArchive
--
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To writers and artists in Cuba, freedom was like oxygen. Just out from The Washington Post, a short documentary on two who spoke out.
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Now in Mandarin, the doctors in Wuhan who were silenced:
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This is a catastrophe for Cuba and its people. Hope they get it under control.
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Many people thought chemical weapons were banned and gone.
@JobyWarrick
in this gripping excerpt reveals how the secret Syrian sarin was first discovered. Get the book for the rest of the amazing story.
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Six years in prison for a social media posting — Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko jailed for highlighting Mariupol killings - BBC News
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Free speech is not a crime.
Sissi Abascal Zamora was born on this day in 1997 in Matanzas, Cuba. She was arrested in 2021 for nonviolently taking part in the 11J protests in which she displayed a banner with the phrase "Homeland & Life". She is now in a Cuban prison serving a 6 year prison sentence. 1/
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Dictators without borders: A trail of violence and intimidation spans the globe
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Time going in the wrong direction—
“USSR. VICTORY”
Outside the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
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Now, the Oswaldo Payá essay from The Washington Post en Español!
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@laurahelmuth
No, I think it makes Russian even more beautiful. You start out with formal, and ease back as you get to know people, it is a silent handshake, too, a way to express familiarity.
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Anatoly Chernyaev's 1981 diary published for the first time. If Sovietologists were fly on the wall in Politburo, he says, "nobody would ever believe this ‘fly.’ They would think he is fooling them or has lost his mind.” Thanks to great work by
@nsarchive
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Remembering Bud McFarlane today, a complex personality, with flaws, but he took journalists aside in the most tense of times and spoke frankly about what was going on—including “elephants” in the cabinet, tugging and pulling Reagan over Cold War policy.
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For more about Oswaldo Payá's daring quest for democracy in Cuba, see my biography--
We are so honored to support
@RosaMariaPaya
and her family's pursuit of justice, and to celebrate this decision after ten long years. At RFK Human Rights, we will never give up, and we will continue the fight for freedom and justice in Cuba, and across the globe.
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Happy 40th FRONTLINE! Proud to have worked on four terrific docs.
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“War scare” document was published by US in official history, now declared “classified.” The Public Document a Federal Judge and the CIA Don’t Want You to See | National Security Archive
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After being poisoned, Vladimir Kara-Murza deserves answers — an editorial in The Washington Post.
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A penetrating story of loss, fear, resilience and truth. An absolutely chilling yet necessary read for the age of information and disinformation. Just published.
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The National Security Archive has the documents about the Able Archer War Scare revelations:
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There is a digital war in Myanmar, on top of the shooting war. And those who exercise free speech are paying a price.
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Belarus has become a laboratory for new ways to destroy people. Maria was one of the three winners of the 2020 presidential election. Now this.
A former political prisoner gave chilling details about Maria Kalesnikava, who has been held incommunicado for more than a year. An information vacuum is being created around her—she is constantly watched, even going to the restroom, and not allowed to communicate with anyone.
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Out now, the Reagan strategic arms control documents, 1981-1989, compiled and edited by James Graham Wilson. Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute - United States Department of State
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Putin’s misadventure is thrusting Russia into years of isolation and destroying hopes of a generation for a modern, normal country. This is not the fault of the Russian people nor their choice.
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Svetlana Alexievich was the first Belarusian to win the Nobel Prize for literature. Her “Second Hand Time” is a classic. Now Lukashenko has banned her and 32 other writers from libraries in Belarus. This is raw despotism.
Lukashenka's regime keeps destroying Belarusian literature. Prosecutor's office ordered to ban 33 authors from the school libraries. They are the most prominent and famous writers. Many of them received international awards for their publications.
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New from
@NSArchive
-- Soviet Politburo knew in July 1986 that Chernobyl reactor design was at fault in the deadly explosion in April, not just the errors made by reactor staff.
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We are all devastated — a terrible loss of a brilliant colleague. Fred Hiatt, Washington Post editorial page editor, dies at 66
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Journalism is not a crime.
#Belarus
Larysa Shchyrakova, my former colleague, was sentenced to 3,5 years in jail. She is a brilliant journalist from Homiel, who had to announce she left the profession. Despite that and the fact that she has a minor son, she was arrested. Larysa must be released immediately.
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Only through change and democracy will Russia become free of the Soviet legacy, a brilliant essay.
30 years ago, a free and independent Ukraine was key to Yeltsin’s power and his idea of a free and democratic Russia. Now thwarting Ukraine’s freedom and independence is key to Putin’s power and Russia as a version of the USSR. My essay:
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The greatest espionage novelist of our time. RIP John Le Carre. My favorite was The Russia House.
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I gave my two cents about the debate over Russia in the 1990s to TV Dozhd.
The Washington Post contributing editor David Hoffman discusses the 90s - an epochal era for Russia, in the new interview with TV Rain's Ekaterina Kotrikadze. Watch here:
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It has arrived! Eager to read the latest from brilliant historian
@Lillian_Guerra
looking at nuts and bolts of the Cuban revolution and its methods of collective indoctrination and control.
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There is no such thing as a completely closed dictatorship--not any longer.
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Key ideas for Roosevelt’s Universal Declaration came from a Cuban jurist, Gustavo Gutiérrez, who wrote “La Carta Magna de la Comunidad de las Naciones” in 1945, proposing a global bill of rights. See “Give Me Liberty,”
From the archive: In a 1948 essay, Eleanor Roosevelt argued that a global commitment to human rights would be a prerequisite for lasting peace.
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“Putin’s People” Review in The Post: “Belton’s book is an outstanding account of Putin’s Russia, and elegantly told. “
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