With the Middle East primed for a conflagration, American policy-makers must recognize two realities. First, the United States is embroiled in a major Eurasian rimland war, one that must be fought and won to preserve American power. Second, the benefits of fighting forward — and fighting limited small wars rather than …
There are three possible objectives in a war of conquest: assimilation, imposition, and accommodation. The first was demonstrated by the Holy Roman Empire as it sought to tie its origins to the Hungarian state which, following centuries of Habsburg supervision, became formally absorbed by the Austrian Empire in 1867 as …
Peter the Great, Stalin, and Russia’s Historical Reckoning Continue Reading >>
In the cascade of epochal events that have battered the foundations of our post-Cold War world in recent years, the phrase “turning point” has become cliché. From Putin’s snatching of Crimea in 2014 to Obama’s near-criminal Iran deal in 2015, ISIS and the Syrian butchery, Brexit and Trump, China’s rise …
Israel, Poland and the Week when Europe’s Fate Hangs in the Balance Continue Reading >>
The world was treated to a first-class show this past weekend. It had it all: a breathtaking plot; a top box-office protagonist in Prigozhin; the ultimate villain in Putin; fast-paced, real-time, edge-of-your-seat drama; and a sudden, unexpected denouement. No wonder that mentions of “pass the popcorn” were all over Twitter …
As the dust settles from a volatile two days in Russia, it is worth taking stock of the initial implications that the Prigozhin Putsch has for the Ukraine War. Much remains unknown about the putsch, but there are three clear implications: Russia’s Vladimir Putin looks to have set aside a relationship …
Prigozhin Putsch in Russia Indicates Need for Western Military Push in Ukraine Continue Reading >>
In the early hours of June 6, the Kakhovka Dam burst. The most probable culprit is Russia, given its control over the dam throughout the occupation of right-bank Kherson Oblast. The incident will have significant, tragic humanitarian effects. But as a matter of warfare, it illustrates how badly off-balance Russian forces are …
The Kakhovka Dam’s Destruction Shows a Russian Military on its Back Foot Continue Reading >>
On May 9, Russia’s annual Victory Day celebration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort in Ukraine. This is the latest sign of the nations’ strengthening ties, following the White House’s March 30 announcement that the Kremlin is once again seeking to trade food and other supplies …
Will Russia Commit to North Korea Connections? Continue Reading >>
As the Ukraine War runs on into another summer, the United States should face facts: it needs a strategy for the Black Sea to adapt to a long-range period of geopolitical strife. A public articulation of a U.S. Black Sea strategy, along with the tangible kinetic steps to implement it, …
The United States Needs a Black Sea Strategy Continue Reading >>
The May 4 shootdown of a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missile by a Ukrainian-manned, US-made, Patriot missile system might be seen to indicate that the new class of weaponry is neither invulnerable nor revolutionary, as Russia, US military officials, and many in the media have proclaimed. This lends credence to those who have argued that …
On April 13, Russia’s Institute of Technological Development for the Fuel-Energy Complex organized a panel to discuss energy cooperation between Moscow and African countries. One of the experts, Gabriel Anicet Kotchofa, who served as Benin’s ambassador to Russia, explained that “in Africa, we are waiting for Russia—for what Russia can …
