Russia’s Next Annexation: South Ossetia
A leadership shuffle in the Russian-occupied portion of Georgia signals that Russia is still invested in redrawing borders in the Caucasus.
Kremlin
Selling the S-400 to Qatar or the UAE Solves Turkey’s Problem, Not Washington’s
Turkey’s decade-long standoff with Washington over the S-400 may finally be nearing an inflection point, though not in the tidy way Ankara once imagined, and not without a fresh dose of frustration...
Insights
Why NATO Should Pivot Toward Economic Security
In the coming decades, military burden-sharing won’t be enough to ensure Transatlantic security.
Op-eds
Russian Gasoline Shortages Compound Economic Struggles
Russia is running short on gas. On June 24, Reuters reported that Russia petitioned Kazakhstan to provide 50,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline to alleviate domestic shortages. Despite its status as...
Policy Briefs
Moscow still has leverage after Armenian election defeat
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan survived Russia’s best efforts to influence this month’s election against him. That allows Pashinyan to continue guiding his small South Caucasus nation’s...
Op-eds
Ukraine unveils reforms to address manpower shortage
Ukraine last week unveiled a set of sweeping reforms for military personnel, promising higher-paying, fixed-term contracts in place of indefinite service. Kyiv hopes these measures will help redress its...
Op-eds
Why Russia Is Trying to Influence Armenia’s Elections
Moscow feels threatened by Armenia’s foreign policy pivot toward Europe and the United States.
Op-eds
Can Syria Be Friends with Both Europe and Russia?
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to open up relations with Europe while retaining the country’s longstanding ties with Moscow.
Op-eds
Ukraine now has the ‘cards,’ the US must force Putin to make concessions
Ukraine is proving it holds more “cards” than some assumed, thwarting Russia’s battlefield advances while pounding its infrastructure. Vladimir Putin is visibly under stress to end the war. Yet...
Op-eds
Putin-Xi Summit Fails To Land Major Breakthroughs
This spring is summit season in Beijing. Russian leader Vladmir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for a two-day summit on May 20 to 21 and signed 40 limited agreements covering...
Policy Briefs
Why the EU Should Sanction Russia’s Patriarch
The Russian Orthodox Church’s sanctification of Russia’s war on Ukraine has met with little retort from Europe.
Op-eds
Why the United States Should Pay More Attention to the War in Mali
The ongoing civil war in Mali—where a jihadist group is poised to seize power—is spilling over into Nigeria, with ominous humanitarian consequences.
Op-eds
This Is No Way To Treat Our European Allies
The Trump administration is fond of reminding allies that NATO is a two-way street. But at present, Washington seems to need that message most. Earlier this month, amid a feud between President Donald...
Op-eds
An Anniversary That Should Serve as Warning for Russia’s Allies
May 14 occupies a symbolic place in Russia’s military imagination. It marks the anniversary of the creation of the Warsaw Pact in 1955 and, nearly half a century later, the founding of the Collective...
Op-eds
Putin’s latest Victory Day parade shows a desperate, hollow regime
For all the Russian president’s cultivated image as a geopolitical chess master, the board is starting to look empty
Op-eds
America Should Rediscover the Soft Power Potential of Its Music
What made jazz – the quintessential American music – dangerous was not the sound, but the idea behind it: improvisation, spontaneity, individual voice.
Op-eds
Russia and Iran Build Sovereign, State-Controlled Internets
Iranians are increasingly leaving their country to escape the regime’s internet shutdown. At the same time, in Russia, the Kremlin’s tightening grip on online life is fueling growing...
Op-eds
Deny the Truth at All Costs: Moscow’s Perennial Playbook
Remembering how Moscow dealt with the catastrophe in Chornobyl 40 years ago reveals the cornerstone of the Kremlin’s modus operandi: manage perception first, reality later
Op-eds
Europe Approves 90 Billion Euro Interest-Free Loan to Ukraine
Funding for Defense and Budget Expenses: The European Union gave final approval to a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine on April 23 after Hungary lifted its two-month veto. The interest-free...
Flash Briefs
Russia’s Gray Zone War Against NATO
It’s a battlefield so cold that even Marvel’s Captain America might find himself looking around for a space heater, but that doesn’t mean the fight isn’t warming up. The Kremlin has been waging...