Russia-Iran ties in spotlight as Russian PM visits Iran
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Iran highlights growing ties between the two nations, as they deepen economic cooperation and strengthen their anti-Western alliance.
Belarus
G7 Ambassadors Skip Nagasaki Memorial Over Israel Snub
The U.S., UK, German, and Italian ambassadors to Japan will skip Nagasaki’s annual August 9 commemoration of the 1945 atomic bombing due to the city’s exclusion of Israel from...
Flash Briefs
Biden’s massive Russian prisoner swap comes with major trouble for next president
Swap freed prominent prisoners held by Russia, but Biden may incentivize more hostage taking
Op-eds
As NATO gets stronger, Russia’s version of NATO is falling apart
Sweden joined NATO last month, ending two centuries of neutrality. Its accession comes just shy of NATO’s 75th anniversary. While Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to fracture NATO and...
Op-eds
For Russia, a Year of Setbacks at the OPCW
Yet Member States Still Have Not Imposed Consequences for Moscow’s Chemical Weapons Use
Memos
Tyrants and expendable migrants: Dictators play with people’s lives to gain leverage
Illegal immigration through the U.S.-Mexican border is at an all-time high, straining public resources and fueling political tension in the United States. Much of what moves migrants to undertake the...
Op-eds
Russian Munitions Production Higher But Still Insufficient
In an interview published on January 15, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, or GUR, provided assessments of Russia’s production rate...
Op-eds
A New Spring for Caspian Transit and Trade
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Memos
Will the Russia-Ukraine War lead to World War III?
So far, the conflict has remained within manageable bounds for the international community, but the prospect of further conflagration is not far off.
Op-eds
Russia failed to weaken NATO — but its own security alliance is now falling apart
Vladimir Putin has been candid about his intentions to dismantle NATO and discredit Article 5 of the alliance’s founding treaty, in which members pledge to defend each other from...
Op-eds
Is Russia Now Weaponizing Music?
Russia has resorted to a wide range of tactics to keep nations within its orbit. Now it’s taken to using music to win over foreign public support.
Op-eds
The problem with Republican isolationism
Abandoning Ukraine is no way to make America great again
Op-eds
Iran and Belarus Sign Defense Cooperation Agreements
The Iranian and Belarussian defense ministers met in Tehran on July 31 to sign a pair of defense cooperation agreements. While details about the accords are scarce, Minsk may be looking to Tehran for...
Flash Briefs
The Wagner Rebellion: How the West Can Take Advantage of the Chaos Caused
“The West can impede the Kremlin’s initiative to centralize its armed forces into a more unified structure, prolonging the current decentralized state of the Russian Armed Forces."
Op-eds
Putin’s soft underbelly is ripe for revolt
It's wrong to assume Russia's 'allies' will forever be loyal to Moscow - often the reverse is true. The West can exploit this
Op-eds
The rise and fall of Putin’s warlord
Yevgeny Prigozhin sought more than wealth and power
Op-eds
Yes, Xi Jinping is a dictator, and he should be proud of it
What’s Xi Jinping getting his knickers in a knot about? Was it a diplomatic faux pas for President Biden to call him — at a campaign fundraiser — a “dictator”? Of course. Was...
Op-eds
After Wagner Group’s failed coup, spread the word: Putin is vulnerable
In response to Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin’s threat over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from any serious counteraction as Wagner troops neared the city. Prigozhin...
Op-eds
Putin’s to-do list
What would happen if he were to prevail in Ukraine?
Op-eds
Putin’s mini-Nato is falling apart
As Moscow's allies turn their backs, now is time for NATO states to expose CSTO as nothing more than an empty shell