The pros and cons of buying Alaska.
The week's news at a glance.
Russia
Evlalia Samedova
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Should Russia buy Alaska back from the U.S.? asked Evlalia Samedova in Moscow’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein has made us an offer. In a recent column, he pointed out—half jokingly—that Alaska is a net drain on the U.S. Treasury, siphoning off far more money in pork programs than its natural resources bring in, and he proposed selling it back to us for $1 trillion. It would certainly make the nationalists happy. They would say that “reclaiming Alaska would restore historical justice.” But most Russian analysts think the huge state would be a poor investment. “First of all,” says Mikhail Delyagin of the Globalization Institute, “we don’t have $1 trillion.” And even if we could swing the purchase, says Sergei Markov of the Political Studies Institute, “Russia already has vast expanses that we can’t afford to develop—just look at Siberia.” Another few million acres of snowy tundra is the last thing this country needs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
6 unmissable museum exhibitions to see this fall
The Week Recommends Elizabeth Catlett, Tamara de Lempicka and Marina Abramovic are in the spotlight
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
College admissions data reveals early effects of affirmative action's end
In the spotlight A sneak peek at how the Supreme Court's decision has panned out
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'Farmland has declined under both parties'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published