Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.

Input: Consider Input: Russia's next acquisition. It is no secret that Russia views the South Caucasus as being in its natural sphere of influence . In light of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and on the back of Moscow's recent treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgians have legitimate reasons to believe that Russian activity in their country will only increase in 2015 . Consequently ,  many are keeping a close eye on the Georgian province of Samtskhe-Javakheti- a majority ethnically Armenian region located just three hours' drive from the nation's capital city of Tbilisi . Causing instability in Samtskhe-Javakheti would achieve two goals for Moscow . First ,  it would further dismember the territorial integrity of Georgia . The Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are already under Russian occupation . By some accounts they are closer than ever to being annexed by Moscow . An independent Samtskhe-Javakheti, or one under Russian influence, would divide Georgia down the middle . Armenian separatism in Samtskhe-Javakheti might not be as vocal as it was only a few years ago ; but there is still a fear that Moscow could easily reenergise separatist movements in the region . Secondly, and more importantly for Russia, bringing the region under Moscow's influence would make a land corridor between Russia and Armenia, via South Ossetia, one step closer . This is important because Russia maintains a sizeable military presence in Armenia . The bulk of the Russian force is based in the city of Gyumri and consists of approximately 5,000 soldiers and dozens of fighter planes and attack helicopters . Russia has long had the difficult challenge of supplying these forces , especially since Georgia and Turkey refuse transit rights . This has left a reliance on Iran , which for obvious reasons, is not ideal for Russia . It is not only for Russia that Samtskhe-Javakheti is strategically important, but also for Europe . The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline, carrying oil and gas respectively from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, passes through the province . As the possibility of more Central Asian oil and gas finding its way to Europe becomes likely , these pipelines bypassing Russia will become a vital part of Europe's energy security . In addition ,  the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, which is due to open later this year, passes through Samtskhe-Javakheti . It is expected that this rail line will eventually transport 3 million passengers and over 15 million tons of freight each year . There is a perfect storm brewing in the region and if Russia wanted to exploit the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti it could not ask for better timing than now . First is the fact that many Javakheti Armenians have Russian sympathies . Until its closure in 2007, the Russian military base there was the single biggest source of employment . It has also been reportedthat Moscow is issuing Russian passports to ethnic Armenians living in the region . This in itself is telling ; Russia issued passports to Abkhazians and South Ossetians just before its 2008 invasion of Georgia and also issued passports to Crimeans ahead of the annexation of Crimea last year . But Russia is only part of the problem . Many of the grievances Javakheti Armenians have are a result of poor policy making by the central government in Tbilisi . Many Javakheti Armenians feel that their culture and language are discriminated against . There has been a decrease in the quality of education among the Javakheti Armenian population . The bilingual education program of teaching in both Georgian and Armenian has been described as a "total failure" because there are not enough qualified teachers with proficiency in both languages . Unemployment is high in Samtskhe-Javakheti and future economic prospects in the region look bleak . Many Javakheti Armenians travel to Russia or Armenia for work . Economy strained . Thanks to the drop in the value of the Russian ruble - almost one-third of its value in the past year  - remittances have also decreased . The unusually harsh winter in the region is placing a further strain on economic activity . Then there is the issue of citizenship and immigration . Many Javakheti Armenians do not have Georgian citizenship . Instead ,  many hold Armenian passports because finding seasonal work in Armenia and Russia is easier this way . Until recently, Armenian citizens were allowed to live and work inside Georgia without any special authorisation as long as they crossed the border back into Armenia at least once a year . Last September this changed . Now Javakheti Armenians without Georgian citizenship can only stay in Georgia for three months at a time . Longer term residency permits are costly . These policies breed animosity and form a perfect storm that could easily be exploited by Russia . It does not have to be this way . Sensible policies can be pursued by Tbilisi to address the legitimate grievances of the Javakheti Armenians . The West can make it clear to Russia that further meddling in Georgia's domestic affairs could lead to additional sanctions . The last thing the South Caucasus needs is another sectarian conflict .

Output: It is no secret that Russia views the South Caucasus as being in its natural sphere of influence In light of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and on the back of Moscow's recent treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgians have legitimate reasons to believe that Russian activity in their country will only increase in 2015


Input: Consider Input: The dawn of Kim Jong-un's rule. It has been a few years since the sudden death of the Sun of the Nation, Marshal Kim Jong-il which made his third son, Kim Jong-un, then in his late 20s, the supreme leader of North Korea . Three years is the length of the traditional mourning period that Koreans are supposed to observe after the death of their father or sovereign . Thus ,  now is the time to make some observations about Kim's North Korea . What has remained the same, and what has changed since December 2011? The dawn of Kim's rule was marked by intense purges of his father's top dignitaries . In December 2011, during his father's funeral, Kim walked next to his father's hearse in the company of three top generals and four top civilian officials . Three years on, none of these people have their jobs : At least one of them was executed , while all but one have disappeared without a trace . Kim's decision to arrest and execute Chang Song-taek, his aunt's husband, long the "grey eminence" of Pyongyang politics, was a dramatic signal to the elite . The sorry fate of Chang was meant to show that nobody is immune from the wrath of the supreme leader . These purges were obviously necessary to start changing the country , since Kim's policies will be very different from those of his father and grandfather . So far, the most important changes can be seen in the field of economic management . From late 2012, the North Korean government began to implement reforms which are remarkably similar to what China did in the early days of Deng Xiaoping, around 1980 . Farmers, who were hitherto government employees with a fixed salary, are now given a certain percentage of the harvest, and have predictably started to feel motivated . As a result, the food situation has improved markedly . In industry, a slow-motion switch from a Leninist, centrally planned economy to markets has been initiated as well . The unofficial private economy, far more advanced in North Korea than most imagine, is now quietly encouraged . There is no sign of relaxation in the political sphere, however . Kim has launched a massive crackdown on illegal border movements, effectively closing North Korea's border with China  - which had remained porous for decades . He has also done much to root out the penchant that many North Koreans have recently developed for smuggled foreign TV shows, especially South Korean soap operas and films . Such concerns are not merely motivated by paranoia, regardless of what the international media says . The supreme leader knows that his position is precarious, and that tightening the screws of social control and surveillance may help him prolong his rule . North Korea under Kim remains as stubborn in its nuclear ambitions as it was under his father . Having seen the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the popular rebellion against Libya's Gaddafi that was indirectly assisted by western might, North Korean decision-makers have every reason to want to continue to advance their nuclear weapons potential . At the same time ,  there has also been a truly unprecedented crisis in Sino- North Korean relations . In the last years of Kim Jong-il, China was North Korea's major sponsor and trade partner . Now things are different . The Chinese and North Korean media (strictly controlled by the government in both countries) have exchanged thinly veiled verbal attacks , while the Chinese government has frozen all Beijing-sponsored infrastructure projects in North Korea - including, for example, a new bridge over the Yalu River . The North Korean government under Kim has shown hitherto unprecedented interest in foreign investment, as long as this investment comes from sources other than China . At present, the young marshal has pinned his hopes on Russia - currently itself on a collision course with the West . North Korean leaders obviously believe that Russia under Vladimir Putin will behave like the Soviet Union once did and shower North Korea with aid grants as a reward for Pyongyang's militant anti-Americanism . Such hopes are misplaced , but it will take some time before Pyongyang's decision-makers realise the sad truth . There is little doubt that Kim wants to be popular and loved by his people, and perhaps sincerely cares about the wellbeing of the North Korean populace , though he might have rather eccentric ideas on what constitutes such wellbeing . Under his watch, the North Korean government has spent a significant part of its meagre resources on building all kinds of entertainment facilities, including an elite ski resort, a number of water parks and even a dolphinarium . Kim's North Korea is increasingly a place quite different from the North Korea of his father . It is moving towards a more efficient economy, but also towards more internal repression . It is more prone to erratic changes in domestic policy and more eccentric in many regards . But ,  of course , for the foreseeable future it is going to remain a nuclear and authoritarian regime, run by the Kim family and a small hereditary elite : This is not negotiable, irrespectively of what the outside world thinks and does .

Output: What has remained the same, and what has changed since December 2011? It has been a few years since the sudden death of the Sun of the Nation, Marshal Kim Jong-il which made his third son, Kim Jong-un, then in his late 20s, the supreme leader of North Korea


Input: Consider Input: Torture is a crime, time to end the impunity. This week the world has seen headline after headline about the CIA's horrifying practise of systematic torture and cruelty : Mentions of "rectal hydration" and rape threats, sleep and sensory deprivation, forced nudity, stress positions, subjection to cold temperatures, food deprivation, hanging from bars, confinement in a "coffin size" box, hooding, and physical assaults ; a man left shackled and naked to die overnight in a secret CIA facility in Afghanistan ; psychologists contracted to design the best ways to break the human spirit ; doctors ensuring that victims were fit to endure more torture . These were violations of the most fundamental human rights and crimes under international law . But still, no promises to bring any of those responsible to justice . It has been known for years that the US turned to torture as part of its response to the crime against humanity that was committed on September 11, 2001 . Today, the cruelty carried out in the CIA secret detention programme run under authority granted by President George W Bush still has the power to shock and sicken . While the CIA may have exceeded its authority and lied to him , he still had a part to play . But we must not forget that behind the text of the summary report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) and the details contained within, are cases of real people . People whose lives have been broken , whose humanity was forgotten under this state-sanctioned programme . The case of Abu Zubaydah has long been known . Amnesty International first raised its concerns with the US government in April 2002 . He was the first person to be taken into CIA custody considered by the agency to have high intelligence value . Abu Zubaydah was effectively treated as a human guinea pig to test the CIA's emerging interrogation regime . He was subjected to a range of torture methods, including being waterboarded multiple times . The SSCI summary adds some new chilling details . A July 15, 2002 cable sent by the interrogation team at "Detention Site Green", believed to be in Thailand, ended:"In light of the planned psychological pressure techniques to be implemented, we need to get reasonable assurances that [Abu Zubaydah] will remain in isolation and incommunicado for the remainder of his life." CIA officers responded that "all major players are in concurrence that [Abu Zubaydah] should remain incommunicado for the rest of his life" . Then , after Abu Zubaydah had been subjected to 47 days of complete isolation, he was subjected to numerous "enhanced interrogation techniques" including physical assaults, stress positions, cramped confinement, white noise, and sleep deprivation "in varying combinations, 24 hours a day for 17 straight days" . Reports were constantly fed back to top authorities . Daily cables sent from "Detention Site Green" to CIA headquarters recorded that Abu Zubaydah frequently "cried", "begged", "pleaded", and "whimpered" . At times, he was "hysterical" and "distressed to the level that he was unable to effectively communicate" . Waterboarding sessions would result in "hysterical pleas" , and on at least one occasion, Abu Zubaydah "became completely unresponsive" until he received medical attention . Abu Zubaydah's ordeal is not yet over . After four and a half years in secret CIA custody he was transferred to Guantanamo , where he remains today . He has never been charged with any crime . The injustice continues . On August 5, 2002, at the same time that Abu Zubaydah was being tortured in Thailand, CIA headquarters approved an interrogation plan for Ridha al-Najjar at another secret facility, dubbed"Detention Site Cobalt" , believed to be the Salt Pit facility in Afghanistan . The interrogation plan for Najjar included isolation in total darkness, lowering the quality of his food, keeping him in cold temperatures, 24-hour-a-day loud music, shackling and hooding . Over one two-day period, he was left with his wrists handcuffed to an overhead bar for 22 hours a day in order to "break his resistance" . On September 21, 2002, his interrogators sent a cable describing Najjar as "clearly a broken man" and "on the verge of complete breakdown" . His detention and interrogation "became the model" for the treatment of detainees at that facility, according to the SSCI . Twelve years later, Najjar remains in US custody in Bagram, Afghanistan . He has never been charged or tried, and is still being denied his right to challenge his detention in court . A petition on his behalf is currently pending before the US Supreme Court . The psychological impact of such intense cruelty has devastated those subjected to it . According to the SSCI, many detainees"exhibited psychological and behavioural issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation" . Majid Khan, who was held in secret CIA custody for three and a half years before being transferred in 2006 to Guantanamo, where he remains today, is said to have engaged in numerous acts of self-harm, including"attempting to cut his wrist on two occasions, to chew into his arm at the inner elbow, cut a vein in the top of his foot and into his skin at the elbow joint using a filed toothbrush" . As the world struggles to comprehend the details in the summary it is important to remember all we've been given is a snapshot, a peek through the keyhole to the dark secrets hidden within . The report released yesterday is just a summary of a full report that runs to 6,700 pages . That report describes the detention and interrogation of 119 detainees held by the CIA . Senator Dianne Feinstein said that "decisions will be made at a later date" as to whether the whole report will be declassified and released . Amnesty International believes this should be done sooner rather than later, indeed should be set in motion now . The Senate committee also needs to address the fact that the US human rights violations and crimes went beyond torture . The CIA detainees were subjected to enforced disappearance  - which, like torture, is a crime under international law . No one has been brought to justice for these crimes . This accountability gap leaves the US squarely on the wrong side of its international obligations . Those responsible, no matter their current or previous level of office, must be brought to justice, along with those in other countries that colluded with the CIA to facilitate these programmes . December 10 marked 30 years since the adoption of the Convention Against Torture - an anniversary which the US would do well not to gloss over . The US ratified the treaty in 1994 . President Obama should make a public commitment to end the impunity being enjoyed by those who authorised and carried out the crimes committed in the CIA programmes of rendition, interrogation and detention . And victims should be offered redress  - most urgently they must be offered treatment to help them overcome the trauma to which they were unlawfully exposed . If they have committed crimes they should be prosecuted and punished for them , but as victims, they too deserve justice . Laying out a catalogue of abuses is not enough . There must be accountability too .


Output: This week the world has seen headline after headline about the CIA's horrifying practise of systematic torture and cruelty