Section: US & Canada
Obama’s Bet On Putin Has Collapsed
U.S. President Barack Obama told an interviewer recently that the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria “haunts me constantly” — and well it should. Hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced, and still no end to the conflict is in sight. Even one year ago American military power still might have intervened decisively, without...
Germany Warns of the Danger of War
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Oct. 8 that the situation between the U.S. and Russia today is more dangerous than it was during the Cold War. As he put it, “It’s a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War. The current times are different and more dangerous.” Since most of us think of the Cold War...
Russia Preparing For War? Moscow Conducts Emergency Nuclear Drills
The Kremlin has dusted off Soviet-era civil-defense plans and upgraded bomb shelters in major cities as anti-American rhetoric dominates the airwaves in the wake of a mistaken U.S.-led coalition bombing of Syrian troops last month. The United States and Russia ostensibly have been cooperating in Syria on routing the Islamic State group but still...
Where Clinton and Trump stand on 37 issues
WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on three dozen issues: ABORTION Persistent Republican-led efforts to restrict access to abortion and to curb government funding for Planned Parenthood have been hotly debated in Washington and in states. The issue will be shaped in some way by the next president and could be...
Grand Strategy: What is America’s Most Pressing Foreign Policy Issue?
Ted Ellis Security, ISIS? China? Russia? The South China Sea. There are a variety of potential threats around the world today: tensions in the South China Seas, a nuclear North Korea, conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and civil wars in the Middle East are just a few. In order to better think about these challenges and how they relate to U.S....
Clinton Adviser Lamented‘Naive’ Putin Comments
A high-level adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign lamented the former secretary of state’s “naïve sounding” comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin made during a speech before Goldman Sachs executives three years ago, leaked emails show. Mandy Grunwald, Clinton’s senior communications adviser, warned other...
The U.S. Navy in an Irregular Baltic Conflict: Seapower’s Role in Countering Russian Hybrid Warfare
Joshua Tallis Security, Russia Sea power is difficult, though not impossible, to bring to bear in an unconventional Baltic contingency. Editor’s Note: The article below is derived from a forthcoming CNA report. The paper, tentatively titled Baltic Contingencies and the Role of Sea Power, is the first in a series set to explore the role of...
Ukraine Claims Rebels Boast More Artillery and Tanks Than Germany
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has warned that Russian-backed rebels in his country’s east boast more artillery, tanks and armored vehicles than Germany’s armed forces, Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported Sunday. Although there are no official figures for the arsenal held by militants in east Ukraine, Poroshenko cited...
Petro Poroshenko Told Vladimir Putin to Halt Fire At Ukraine
Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “you should just stop shooting” in a heated exchange last week, it has emerged. The two met in Berlin, where they were joined by French president Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel, in the so-called Normandy format—the name given to the...
Russians Test Bomb Shelters, Gas Masks Amid Rising Tensions With West
Russian officials have upgraded bomb shelters in large cities in the country and tested gas masks, as tensions between Moscow and Western powers including the United States have continued to escalate. Recent civil defense drills incorporated measures to protect against nuclear and chemical threats, evidence of preparation for the survival of...
