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The World Next Week: Security Concerns Plague the Sochi Winter Olympics, Thailand Holds Parliamentary Elections, and Ukrainian Protests Continue

<p>An Olympic volunteer takes pictures of people posing under the Olympic rings in Sochi. (Phil Noble/Courtesy Reuters).</p>
An Olympic volunteer takes pictures of people posing under the Olympic rings in Sochi. (Phil Noble/Courtesy Reuters).

By experts and staff

Published
  • James M. LindsayCFR Expert
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy

The World Next Week podcast is up. CFR distinguished visiting fellow and former New York City police commissioner Ray Kelly joined Bob McMahon and I on the podcast this week to discuss security challenges at the Sochi Winter Olympics.  Bob and I also discussed upcoming parliamentary elections in Thailand and ongoing protests in Ukraine.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/editorial/2014/20140130_T…]

The highlights:

For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:

Sochi Winter Olympics: The Washington Post reveals security concerns for U.S. Olympians. CFR.org posts a meeting transcript on U.S.-Russian relations going into the games. CNN asks how safe Sochi is and details U.S. preparations for evacuating Americans from Sochi. Yahoo News reports that the Sochi organizing committee chief has said that Sochi will be “among the most security-friendly games.”

Thailand’s Parliamentary Elections: Al-Jazeera reports that Thailand’s Election Commission has decided to proceed with the February 2 vote. Josh Kurlantzick discusses the role of the military in the Thai crisis. BBC News answers frequently asked questions about the protests in Thailand. Reuters reports that Thailand will deploy ten thousand police offices on Election Day.

Unrest in Ukraine: NBC News has everything you need to know about the crisis in Ukraine. BBC News reports that a former Ukrainian president has said the country is on the “brink of civil war” and details the annulment of Ukrainian anti-protest laws. The New York Times reports that Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich has left negotiations and gone on sick leave.