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Reflection from the Board - The War in Ukraine and its Impact on the Global Agricultural Sector; Around the Globe with Arcanum; Arcanum Analytic; Sanctions Watch; Tradecraft and Technology Corner  
Russia’s invasion has inflicted about $5.8 billion in damages to Ukraine’s agricultural machinery since 2022, choking Ukrainian agriculture – the country’s most important export sector.  
Uzbekistan signed $2.5 billion worth of trade and investment deals with Afghanistan’s de facto government, sending a clear signal of its faith in the longevity of Taliban rule.  
Washington, DC, April 25, 2024 – Arcanum Global, a leading strategic intelligence company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings, is pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Henderson as its Vice President and Head of Analytic Intelligence. In this pivotal role, Henderson will leverage more than 25 years of distinguished service in the US Intelligence Community to enhance Arcanum’s strategic capabilities and drive operational excellence.  
Washington, DC, September 28, 2023 – Arcanum, a global strategic intelligence company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings, is pleased to announce the appointment of former Deputy Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corp and Commanding General of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Major General (Ret) James E. Kraft, Jr. as Senior Vice President, Special Operations and Mission Support. In this pivotal role, he will bring his extensive leadership experience and expertise to enhance Arcanum’s strategic capabilities.  
Washington, DC, August 4, 2023 – Arcanum, a global strategic intelligence company and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings, is pleased to announce the addition of Maj. Gen. James
Linder to their esteemed team. Maj. Gen. Linder, previously the Chief of Staff of U.S. Special Operations
Command, brings with him more than three decades of direct command leadership around the world.
 
The Washington Post
The trip and the convoy’s security were organized and funded by Arcanum, a global intelligence firm that has been supporting Ukrainian forces, including the brigades McAuliffe visited.  
Arcanum Global
Washington, DC, June 8, 2021 – Arcanum, a global strategic intelligence company and a whollyowned subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings, announced today that Lieutenant General
Robert P. Ashley, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), has joined Arcanum
as senior advisor to the Chairman, Ron Wahid
 
The National Interest
Cleaning up Trump’s vandalism must happen in a post-pandemic world with little faith in happy endings. But the crowded foreign policy agenda doesn’t need a mob of specialists entering government. Deep knowledge of a specific area must be tempered by a healthy sense of “the do-able.”  
NPR
NPR's David Greene talks to Dennis Blair, retired Navy Admiral who served as President Obama's first director of National Intelligence, about national security implications of the Biden transition.  
FOX Business
Biden should take advantage of Trump's successes in the Middle East, former national security adviser John Hannah said.  
InsideSources
Too many American opinionmakers have long shown uncritical adulation for ‘the free market’ regardless of the painful economic and social consequences that often result from ‘letting the cards fall where they may’.  
The National Interest
In the new era unexpectedly ushered in by 2020, whether it’s minerals supply, computer chips or telecommunications hardware, the chance to rebuild critical domestic industry has arrived.  
Real Clear Energy
The era of debate over China’s intentions has all but ended; Beijing’s moves now figure as the defining challenge of the 21st century.  
Washington Examiner
The coronavirus, the current biggest threat to global security, has already destroyed life as we know it.  
Press Release
Boon Hui Khoo, former president of INTERPOL and retired Commissioner of the Singapore Police Force, has joined Arcanum as Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Ron Wahid.  
Press Release
Philip Marshall, a UK law enforcement expert, will be joining Arcanum as Vice President of Global Investigations. In this role, he will be responsible for directing the Global Investigations department.  
Inside Sources
In relatively quick order, the shale revolution has made North America the world’s top oil producer.  
FOX Business News
Fox News’ Benjamin Hall reports from Northern Syria on the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  
Wall Street Journal
Your editorial “The Electric-Vehicle Subsidy Racket” (Oct. 12) recommends canceling the electric-vehicle credit program in part because of abuse of the credit by some tax filers.  
The Hindu
Speakers at the Synergia Conclave 2019 talk of ‘geo-tech wars’ in the global arena.  
Helenic Shipping News
A US military plan to seek more international support to protect oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz will be challenging, especially with President Donald Trump calling into question the US presence in the region.  
FDD
John joins America's Newsroom to discuss the release of American Taliban John Walker Lindh.  
AFPC
Earlier this spring, an invitation-only briefing on Capitol Hill gave congressional attendees a disturbing glimpse into a high-tech research race that is spawning dangerous new weapons, delivery systems, and supporting technologies.  
Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
Livestream with Admiral Dennis Blair, April 24 ,2019.  
Newsmax
As official Washington celebrated Easter and Passover over the weekend, public officials and pundits were still floored over the news Thursday that President Donald Trump had made a telephone call of encouragement three days before to Libyan Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar.  
POLITICO
Some lawmakers want to take on OPEC. Now they’re itching for Trump to get on board with an idea he backed before becoming president.  
Tarek Sherazee, a management and strategy expert, has joined Arcanum as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.  
Petra Sipe, a top forensic investigator, has joined Arcanum as Vice President and General Manager of the Financial Intelligence Unit.  
Christopher M. Sanders, a leading national security professional, has joined Arcanum as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Integrated Solutions Group.  
Foreign Affairs
Talmadge’s basic argument is that in any conflict with China, the United States will immediately launch a full-scale air and missile assault against military targets in mainland China and against Chinese attack submarines at sea.  
The Wall Street Journal
Saudi Arabia and its allies are settling in for a new phase of a protracted standoff with rival Qatar, as officials from opposing Gulf Arab states gathered in Riyadh on Sunday for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.  
The Wall Street Journal
Aerospace company cites default for nonpayment in canceling controversial satellite order.  
American Foreign Policy Council
Two grim words — ‘hollowed out’ — routinely surface when we speak about America’s once formidable industrial and manufacturing prowess.  
The New York Times
President Trump announced on Tuesday that he will nominate Gen. John P. Abizaid, a retired commander of forces in the Middle East, as his new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a position that has taken on new sensitivity with the assassination of a Saudi journalist.  
Asia Times
European Union may soon lift Myanmar's tariff and quota privileges, including for rice, in punitive response to systematic rights violations  
The Jerusalem Post
A senior Trump administration official denied on Tuesday that Khashoggi's death complicated progress on the alliance, saying that MESA "is much larger than one country and one issue."  
RT
France is facing unprecedented menace – both internal and external – as it is struggling to battle terrorism, Bernard Squarcini, former head of the French Internal Security Bureau has warned speaking to RT’s SophieCo show.  
Vanity Fair
Washington insiders believe the Defense secretary’s days are numbered—and that Trump didn’t come up with the idea that Mattis is a Democrat on his own. “I think somebody put that thought in his mind,” a former administration official says. “That wasn’t a kind of spur-of-the-moment, thinking-out-loud remark.”  
The American Conservative
At some point he'll realize the Gulf region is a graveyard of failed ideas for collective security.  
Here & Now
Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson gets perspective from John Hannah, senior counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former adviser in the George W. Bush and Clinton administrations.  
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
FDD senior counselor John Hannah joined Varney & Co. on Fox Business to discuss Pompeo's current trip to Pyongyang to follow-up on objectives outlined at last month's Singapore summit.  
Foreign Policy
U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security advisor was marginalized at the summit, but his hard-nosed approach will be essential to dismantling North Korea’s nukes.  
npr
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with retired Adm. Dennis Blair, former director of national intelligence about President Trump's vow to stop joint military exercises with South Korea.  
The Weekly Standard
Earlier this month, after experiencing a long hiatus from violent extremism, Indonesia succumbed anew to Islamist terrorism when a family of suicide bombers struck three different churches in the country's second-largest city, Surabaya.  
Foreign Policy
The Trump Team has shown its commitment to curbing Tehran — but remains stingy with the details.  
Foreign Policy
But he needs a more coherent strategy in the Middle East.  
The Washington Post
Lost in last week’s coverage of tariffs and trade deficits was the Trump administration’s landmark decision to confront China’s unfair and illegal practices that threaten our economic security.  
Time
A major Republican donor fed up with congressional inaction has launched a gun control advocacy group with support from both Republican congressmen and other donors and fundraisers to persuade Congress to pass comprehensive gun control reform.  
Gulf Times
General Anthony Zinni, the special envoy of the US Secretary of State, discussed the "Gulf crisis and efforts to contain it" with Kuwaiti leaders yesterday, according to Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah.  
Al Arabiya
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Monday with retired US Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni and Timothy Lenderking, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Gulf affairs, who were dispatched by the US to the region to discuss solutions for the crisis with Qatar.  
Kuwait Times
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the visiting retired US Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni.  
The Guardian
Amid reports Trump administration is considering pre-emptive action, Dennis Blair says striking first would be high-risk strategy.  
Al-Monitor
John Hannah, who served as national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, will not take the job of US Syria envoy, Al-Monitor has learned.  
The CheatSheet
In the battle of the U.S. vs. North Korea, it’s mostly a war of words. An insane war of words, yes, but words all the same.  
Al-Monitor
The Donald Trump administration is expected to name John Hannah as the next US Syria envoy, as it seeks to reinvigorate the UN-led Geneva negotiations and advance a political resolution to the Syrian conflict.  
Stars and Stripes
A lack of a unified strategy with U.S. allies. Depleted ranks at the State Department. No U.S. ambassador to South Korea. A diminished U.S. role in Pacific trade.  
Financial Times
Dennis Blair, a former head of national intelligence who once commanded the US Pacific fleet, said the North was playing for time and money.  
Chicago Tribune
Given the improbable events of the past two years, it is almost impossible for anything to happen that would really surprise the American people.  
The Christian Science Monitor
Trump, who vowed to restore 'strong American leadership,' has projected military power as president. But in his go-it-alone actions and withdrawal from commitments, some see a diminished US role.  
New Hampshire Union Leader
You might not think a meeting on national politics the week of Thanksgiving three years from a presidential election would be a big draw.  
Foreign Policy
The secretary of state has been going through a rough patch, but not all of his endeavors deserve to be pilloried.  
The Times of India
As the US military opens a new front in its air war in Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban's poppy-processing factories and dropping thousands of more bombs, experts are warning of the risk of alienating the local population.  
The Washington Times
In a dizzying sequence of events, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took a series of moves that will strengthen his status as heir to the throne and the face of his country’s future.  
Kurdistan 24
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi affirmed his intent to undertake two dramatic measures that would drastically weaken the Kurdistan Region.  
Financial Times
“There’s an element of charade and play acting,” said Dennis Blair, the former US commander of Pacific forces, adding that the two sides even compete to have the highest pole to bear their national flag. But such farce masks real risks.  
Gulf News
Speculation mounting over the next GCC summit in December  
Kurdistan 24
Senator James Inhofe on Tuesday expressed concerns about Iraq entering hostilities with the Kurdistan Region which has been “a stabilizing influence” in the Middle East.  
Warrior
Earlier this month it was revealed that Russian-linked Facebook accounts purchased more than $100,000 in divisive political.  
Foreign Policy
You have to hand it to them. U.S. officials nailed it. Prior to the Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, they couldn’t have been clearer in setting out the parade of horribles that might come to pass if the vote went ahead.  
The Sydney Morning Herald
North Korea emerged from Donald Trump's weekend twitterstorm, with a Monday threat of its own.  
Tablet
Forget the hysterics and the apologies: The former CIA agent had the temerity to express an all-too-common view about nefarious Jewish influence over American politics.  
Politico
A deep dive on the North Korea crisis, with Admiral Dennis Blair, who’s spent decades working on this.  
Kurdistan 24
Hannah strongly believes that the Kurdistan Region is entitled to hold a referendum on independence.  
PBS NewsHour
President Trump said the U.S. and its military is ready to deal with any provocation by the Pyongyang regime. How do the president’s words impact the Trump administration’s options? Judy Woodruff speaks with retired Adm. Dennis Blair, a former U.S. Pacific Forces commander, and former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry to get some insight into the reclusive regime and how the U.S. should proceed.  
The National
General Anthony Zinni will be sent to the Gulf to try and defuse the situation.  
Press Release
Field Marshal Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, GCB, LVO, OBE, DL, former Chief of the Defence Staff, will be joining Arcanum as Senior Advisor to the Chairman effective August 1, 2017.  
South China Morning Post
Former US national intelligence director says it’s difficult to pinpoint Pyongyang’s nuclear facilities, but other former top brass more hawkish  
nippon.com
Developments including Chinese military buildup, the Brexit issue in Europe, and the election of Donald Trump as US President provide Japan with a range of challenges going forward.  
USA TODAY
Despite the doom and gloom, Brexit is an opportunity for American businesses.  
RT
Keeping military engagements short and limited has been the mantra for several American administrations, but more often than not they result in quagmires. Does the problem lie with the planning and execution of interventions – or launching them in the first place? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by James Clad, a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense who served the George W. Bush and Obama administrations from 2002 to 2010.  
Financial Times
France is boosting its fight against corporate espionage after belatedly realising that some of its largest trading partners have been extensively spying on its companies, according to the country’s corporate intelligence chief.  
Defense One
The Delta IV engine is more expensive than the RD-180, but at least it doesn’t enrich cronies of the Russian president.  
AZERTAC
London — British Parliament member Lord David Evans has called on the international community to take more active efforts to ensure peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict.  
Foreign Policy
Here’s a worrying bit of news: America’s best ally in the war against the Islamic State, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), is nearly broke. That’s a major problem, especially as the U.S.-led coalition gears up for its most difficult battle yet: the effort to liberate Mosul, the heart of the Islamic State’s power in Iraq.  
Press Release
The former head of the elite law enforcement agency and recipient of the Queen’s Police Medal to serve as Senior Advisor  
Press Release
Arcanum, a strategic global intelligence company and a subsidiary of Magellan Investment Holdings Limited, wishes to congratulate Senior Advisor to the Chairman, the Rt. Hon. the Baroness of Asthal QC, Patricia Scotland on her election as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.  
Newsday
BARONESS Patricia Scotland has responded to the controversy surrounding her election as Commonwealth Secretary General saying that she was sponsored by her home country of Dominica, and was not a “British-sponsored candidate” as had been claimed. “I am a quintessentially Caribbean woman,” she declared.  
SKN Vibes
The OECS Commission has extended congratulations to Dominican-born Baroness Patricia Scotland, on her historic elevation to the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth.  
Yahoo News
Critics brand the Commonwealth ineffectual, but its incoming chief believes the 53-country organisation can use its strength to achieve miracles -- such as eradicating domestic violence.  
Guardian
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who openly supported Sir Ronald Sanders for Commonwealth Secretary General, yesterday congratulated Baroness Patricia Scotland who copped the post.  
First Post
Critics brand the Commonwealth ineffectual, but its incoming chief believes the 53-country organisation can use its strength to achieve miracles — such as eradicating domestic violence.  
DNA India
Patricia Scotland, a Dominica-born British lawyer, was today appointed as the Commonwealth's new Secretary General, becoming the first woman to occupy the post in the 53-member block's history.  
The Independent
Baroness Patricia Scotland, who was the Attorney General under Gordon Brown, has become the first British citizen to be elected secretary‑general of the Commonwealth in its 66-year history.  
All Africa
In what has been a true breakthrough for gender equality in the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland of Dominica was selected new Secretary-General - the first woman to hold the post.  
Vice News
Outside the Stade de France in Paris Friday night, amid the chaos of a series of attacks that claimed the lives of 129 people, police found a Syrian passport.  
Houston Chronicle
Standing blindly on principle all too often leads to bad or self-inflicted injury, especially if the "principle" itself remains hazy. Moves in Congress to defund the U.S. Export-Import Bank closely fit this description as corporate anxiety pushes General Electric and others to shift manufacturing capacity out of the country.  
The Hill
Bombs are going off in Bangkok. Protests are erupting in Kuala Lumpur.  
Foreign Policy
As if there weren’t already enough problems to worry about in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia might be headed for trouble.  
Octavian Report
The Kurdish forces on the ground in Syria and elsewhere represent, at the moment, the single truly effective military counter to the ravages of ISIS  
Press Release
Leading British brands celebrate shared hallmarks of craft, heritage and tradition  
Foreign Policy
We break from our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this disturbing news: Turkey, a vital NATO ally, is teetering on the brink of civil war.  
Press Release
Global Presenting Partner Land Rover and 30 partners bring together
the best of British brand heritage and craft
 
Press Release
Retired General Anthony Zinni to serve as Senior Advisor to the Chairman  
Just four years since Britannia Elevation officially founded The British Polo Day, this global platform for elite engagement in emerging and interesting markets has come of age.  
Why the Pentagon shouldn’t be fooled into buying more Russian rocket engines.  
The National Interest
After decades of trying to accomodate China's rise, proposals for a cooperative relationship are now dead on arrival in the United States.  
Twitter
Senator John McCain tweets about Arcanum's Chairman Ron Wahid latest article "America Plays Russian Rocket Roulette".  
Foreign Policy
I've held a number of discussions with people who have direct knowledge of the conversations that took place at this month’s Camp David Summit between President Obama and leaders from the GCC.  
Newsmax
The United States is "drinking the Kool-Aid" by not being more aggressive in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), says John Hannah, who served as deputy national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney.  
Defense One
The Obama Administration has run out of patience with Iraq’s Army. On Sunday, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the recent fall of Ramadi, one of Iraq’s major cities, to ISIS.  
Wall Street Journal
Arcanum CEO Ron Wahid publishes an oped in the Wall Street Journal calling for America to stop using Russian-built rocket engines in its space program and start using American engines instead.  
Press Release
Recipient of Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service to serve as Senior Advisor  
Foreign Policy
Let’s stipulate that any effort to reach a nuclear accord with a rabidly anti-American theocracy like the Islamic Republic of Iran is by its nature a risky enterprise. That’s especially the case given the mullahs long track record of lying, cheating and deception when it comes to their nuclear ambitions.  
Arcanum, a strategic global intelligence firm and an RJI Capital company, announced today that the Rt. Honourable, the Baroness of Asthal QC, Patricia Scotland has joined Arcanum as Senior Advisor to the CEO.  
CNBC Worldwide Exchange
Arcanum’s Chairman speaks to CNBC’s Wilfred Frost and Seema Mody about the need for a full-frontal attack and tangible actions from the US as well as increased support for the Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight against ISIS.  
Foreign Policy
One of the more astounding features of the current controversy over the Iran nuclear negotiations is the extent to which Congress is being set up to take the blame if the talks go south.  
Foreign Policy
There are lots of reasons to be skeptical that 2015 will see a diplomatic breakthrough in efforts to end Iran’s nuclear weapons bid.  
Defense One
Following his admission that the United States lacked a strategy to deal with the Islamic State group, or ISIL, President Barack Obama launched a revitalized diplomatic campaign to rally America’s allies to our cause.  
Print and publishing magnate the Lord Evans of Watford to serve as Senior Advisor to Arcanum  
CNBC Worldwide Exchange
Arcanum’s CEO, Ron Wahid, talks to CNBC anchor Julia Chatterley about the potential impact of Russian sanctions, where the responsibility lies for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 and the ineffectiveness of US foreign policy.  
Foreign Policy
On the eve of a fundamentally flawed election, Bangladesh teeters on the edge of the precipice.  
Arcanum Hires The Honorable John Hannah to Serve as Senior Advisor  
Brigadier General Joseph DiBartolomeo to Serve as Director of Special Operations and Irregular Warfare for Arcanum  
Global Post
Arab governments should use anti-riot gear against protesters to save lives after many were killed in a disproportionate response to Arab Spring uprisings, defense experts at a Gulf defense show said.  
Agence France Presse
ABU DHABI — Defense experts who say many lives could have been saved during Arab uprisings if states used proper crowd control measures sought to tap into a growing market at an Abu Dhabi arms fair.  
Bloomberg Business
The United Arab Emirates said it will spend $1.4 billion on jeeps, unmanned aircraft and missiles, and plans further defense deals as Persian Gulf countries bolster their armies.  
AMEinfo.com
Arcanum, a provider of integrated solutions and advisory services to military, security and intelligence clients and an RJI Capital company, announced today that its newest global office has opened its doors in Abu Dhabi prior to the company's presentation at IDEX 2013; this will be the first time that Arcanum has a presence at the international defense expo. Arcanum, with offices worldwide, is now actively expanding its regional presence.  
Businessweek.com
A U.S. proposal to sanction Iran’s state-owned oil company and its main tanker fleet may ensnare any person or business in the world involved in purchasing or shipping Iranian oil.  
At the outset, I want to extend a special and heartfelt recognition to the parents of the Stokes Educational Scholarship Program graduates for they are the ones who through their encouragement, support and sacrifices have made this day possible, and without whom none of this would be realizable.  
Politico
The IRGC has successfully manipulating Iran's privatization process and used front companies, investment companies, and foundations, to buy controlling shares in previously state-owned businesses ranging from telecommunications to construction, and most notably, in Iran's energy sector.  
The Washington Times
Sometimes it seems as though the United States must face the increasingly authoritarian regime of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela alone. Having centralized power, developed a close alliance with Cuba, rigged elections and even harassed the American ambassador when he tried to deliver baseball equipment to a poor community in Caracas,  
Wall Street Journal
If we buy oil from despotic states, are we somehow complicit in their crimes? Even after the Arab Spring has highlighted tyranny in the Middle East, Americans and Europeans still generally remove oil and natural gas from their moral calculations.  
The Weekly Standard
Even before the recent inconclusive nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, President Barack Obama undoubtedly agreed with France’s national security adviser, Jean-David Levitte, when he described Tehran’s approach to nuclear negotiations with the West as a “farce” and the dictatorship of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as “fascist.”  
Wall Street Journal
The Reserve Bank of India has opened up a major new front in the global effort to tighten the economic screws on Tehran. Under pressure from the United States, the Indian central bank last week blocked domestic buyers of Iranian oil from making payments through the Asian Clearing Union.  
Why have numerous and sustained attempts to stop or restrict the flow of funding to disguised and overt terrorist groups around the world been less than effective?  
Wall Street Journal
A black-market financial investigation spreading from Iran to Sudan, London and Cuba began in a cluttered fifth-floor cubicle in an old-school district attorney's office in Manhattan featuring dark corridors and frosted glass.  
Wall Street Journal
Ukraine has a choice to make: Will it be a confident, forward-looking state willing to accept foreign investment and embark on a path of rapid economic growth? Or will it be divided, yearning for the past rather than meeting the future?  
The Washington Times
Driving to New York City this holiday season? What if you couldn't drive through New Jersey because that state and New York had been unable to agree on the tolls at the Lincoln Tunnel? That's not a bad analogy for what is happening right now, as winter sets in, between Russia and Ukraine in their dispute over the pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe and to Ukraine itself.