Russia
Evlalia Samedova
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.
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.
-
The elite falcon trade in the Middle EastUnder the Radar Popularity of the birds of prey has been ‘soaring’ despite doubts over the legality of sourcing and concerns for animal welfare
-
A running list of the international figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth The president has grown bolder in flexing executive clemency powers beyond national borders
-
Mixed nuts: RFK Jr.’s new nutrition guidelines receive uneven reviewsTalking Points The guidelines emphasize red meat and full-fat dairy
