Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
EU to Gazprom: Play by the Rules
The European Union charged Russian energy giant Gazprom Wednesday with using unfair competitive practices in the natural gas business in Central and Eastern Europe, opening up another contentious flank between Brussels and Moscow at a time of heightened tension over Russian aggression in Ukraine. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager...
Europe Throws Down the Gauntlet at Gazprom
European Union competition officials will likely throw the book at Russian energy giant Gazprom on Wednesday, flexing Brussels’s strongest muscle and potentially reshaping an energy sector that has worked largely to Moscow’s advantage since the 1970s. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who leapt into global headlines last...
Situation Report: China looking at floating bases; Islamic State’s weed; defense contractors eye two big prizes; and lots more
By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson I’m on a boat. Forget about China building its own islands out of rocks in the South China Sea. Two Chinese companies are working on constructing massive, 2 km long floating sea bases that can move around according to need, and conduct a range of military operations. The idea is to build multiple...
Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, April 20, 2015
To keep up with Democracy Lab in real time, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Yuliya Bila urges Ukraine to decentralize, arguing that devolving power to local authorities will strengthen the quality of governance and bolster democracy. Robert Looney warns that Ethiopia’s economic miracle threatens to run out of steam unless the government...
Situation Report: More chemical weapons in Syria; Islamic State kicked out of Baiji; French weapons for Lebanon, Chinese oil pumping through Pakistan; and more
By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson New Day Rising? On April 19, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that Iraqi forces “regained full control” over the Baiji oil refinery after having cleared the massive facility of Islamic State fighters. The facility has been a flashpoint for months, with Iraqi forces inside slugging it out with waves of...
Anna’s Army
At 4 a.m., two Ford Transit vans barrel down an otherwise empty road on their way to a military camp at an undisclosed location in the Donbass region of Ukraine. The temperature is a brutal negative 13 degrees and with no working heat, the vans’ passengers are bundled in sleeping bags, as they have been all through the night. Just 10 hours...
Situation Report: Ash wants a new cyber strategy; Iraq wants a pipeline; and Gen. Dempsey wants Ramadi — some day
By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson War Games. Speaking with reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday afternoon, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter mentioned almost in passing that he’s headed out west next week to Silicon Valley, saying simply that he plans to “meet with some technology executives” before delivering a speech at Stanford...
‘No, I Don’t Want Myself Cloned’ and Other Highlights from Putin’s Marathon Q&A
No one can deny that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a showman. Twice a year, the image-conscious leader takes to the Russian airwaves to field questions from journalists and the public. The slickly-produced events allow Putin to polish his image, share a few humourous anecdotes, and gain insight into the troubles of ordinary Russians. On...
Situation Report: Drones all around for the Navy; verbal spats among U.S. Middle East allies; and CENTCOM turns media critic
By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson Relationship status: complicated. After a pair of dueling press conferences with Iraqi and Saudi government officials on Wednesday, FP’s Lara Jakes and Paul McLeary write that “the Obama administration is caught between two allies over the rising war in Yemen.” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi led off...
Andy Marshall: I Had No Idea Who Yoda Was
Andy Marshall is a legendary figure in Washington defense circles. For 42 years until his retirement this January he ran the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon, a sort of internal think tank for the Department of Defense. He has been variously described as the best strategic thinker in the U.S. government and the military’s...
