Section: The American Interest (USA)
America, Heal Thyself
With the 2018 mid-term elections receding in the rearview mirror, there is an argument to be made that this time around demonstrated that the American political system broadly “works.” The pendulum that swung sharply toward nativism and xenophobia has swung back toward inclusion and pluralism. Or, put more neutrally, the underdog party reclaimed...
Change in Post-Putin Russia?
Russia has reverted to a condition comparable to that which led in the end to the fall of the USSR. Today’s Kremlin, like its Soviet predecessor, has proved unable adequately to address the linked questions of how to secure beneficial relationships with the outside world, responsible governance, and stable economic and social development....
Defending Journalists in an Era of “Destroyed Rights”
When things got desperate my parents signed letters. Letters which could cost them their safety and freedom. But they felt that not to sign was to acquiesce to the immorality of the regime when it arrested people for simply speaking their mind. This was in the Soviet Union, during the late 1970s, in the frosty years of the Cold War. Public...
Facing Up To Frozen Conflicts
Russia’s invasion and long occupation of parts of my country Georgia, as well as Ukraine, inevitably spawn discussions of “gray zones” and “frozen conflicts” among Western observers. These terms are meant to describe a world in which politics has ceased to operate effectively, or where efforts to unfreeze things have failed—in all cases due...
How To “Normalize” Relations With Russia
Russia’s aggressive moves against Ukraine, in particular the recent closing of the Sea of Azov and the capture of three Ukrainian vessels, are a good reminder that the only way to normalize relations with Moscow is by deterring it. Russia will continue its predatory behavior whenever and wherever it sees an opening, a weakness that it can...
Estonia and the Kindness of Strangers
In international politics size and location matter above all else. On both counts Estonia, a northern European country on the Baltic Sea, suffers from severe disadvantages. It is tiny, with a population of just over 1.3 million; and it has a giant neighbor that is ill-disposed to it: Russia. Peoples such as the Estonians seldom manage to achieve,...
Putin, the European
“Never interrupt an enemy while he is making a mistake.” Vladimir Putin might not hold Napoleon in reverence, but these days he could surely relate to perhaps his most famous dictum. Just a few weeks back, the United States, most of the European Union, and several other states united in a common front to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats (or,...
Malaysia’s Democratic Breakthrough
In an era of authoritarian regression, illiberal populism, and xenophobic nationalism, any faint glimmers of democratic progress are sorely needed. But Malaysia’s parliamentary elections last week gave much more than a glimmer of hope. After 61 years the authoritarian ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), and its core dominant party,...
Turkey’s Energy Ambitions
The year 2017 set a record in Turkey that only a few people noticed: namely, a historic peak in Russian gas deliveries. Gazprom sales to Turkish customers shot up by 17.3 percent and hit 29 billion cubic meters (bcm). This was partly due to an exceptionally harsh winter. On January 7, the cold wave sweeping down from Eastern Europe had the...
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a fourth term as Russia’s President yesterday. In a move that should surprise no one, he then proposed Dmitry Medvedev as his candidate for Prime Minister, a nomination that was quickly confirmed by the Russian Duma today.As I have explained before, Medvedev’s position is not a political one. It...
