RUSSIA: Volcanic Crust

Asia and its proud promontory, Europe, have always been one land mass. Now, with the emergence of Russia as No. 1 power in both regions, they were a single political continent. Last week this new political continent, like a vast volcanic crust, heaved and hissed, threw up craters of political lava from the smoldering core below, burned with friction at its edges, especially those edges where for ages Europe has grated against Asia—the Aegean area and the Turkish Straits.

Russia was believed to have an eye on both last week—by direct demand on Turkey for...

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