Section: The American Interest (USA)
Putiniana as Deceit and Self-Deceit
For years now, Vladimir Putin has been the most talked about leader in the West. He is on the covers of popular magazines; he is the hero or villain of numerous essays and books; he has an army of spectators waiting for the next detail to add to their Putin-centric narratives. Hardly any other Russian leader (with the exception of Stalin) has...
Duterte and Putin Reject ICC
The liberal international order is in bad shape these days, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to withdraw from the International Criminal Court the very day after Russia did so. Reuters: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he might follow Russia and withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing...
Obama’s Never-Ending Lecture Tour
President Obama, who has done less for Europe than any American president since Calvin Coolidge, cannot stop telling Europeans what to do. As he sets out on his final European tour as president, with his political party back home in a state of near collapse, and with Putin inflicting yet another painful humiliation on the least successful...
Putin’s Fellow Travelers Elected in Bulgaria and Moldova
The Kremlin’s winning streak continued on Sunday, as Bulgaria and Moldova both elected leaders seeking friendlier ties with Moscow. Rumen Radev, the Socialist Party candidate who promised to lift EU sanctions on Russia, was elected president in Bulgaria, while Igor Dodon won the run-off in Moldova, riding a wave of populist anger and...
The Pretty Successful Superpower
The post-Cold War era has now lasted a quarter-century—longer than the period between the world wars and more than half as long as the Cold War itself. This period, moreover, has been no quiet or restful time in American grand strategy. The United States did not withdraw from the world after the Soviet collapse, or even become a more “normal”...
Trump and the World
Donald J. Trump’s electoral victory on November 8 is an inflection point for the United States and the world. Trump was a change candidate and change is coming both domestically and globally. But what are the implications of a Trump Presidency? This reflection considers what could be the drivers in the first years of a Trump presidency,...
Another Opening for Russia, This Time in Estonia
Moscow is getting a lot of good electoral news these days. On the same day that Donald Trump improbably won the U.S. presidential election, Estonia’s Prime Minister stepped down, creating an opening for a pro-Russian party to join the coalition. Financial Times explains: Estonia’s prime minister has resigned after losing a...
Japan and Russia Gear Up for High-Stakes Talks
Japan and Russia are laying the groundwork for a major summit next month, at which Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe will discuss a host of economic projects and an unresolved territorial dispute. Financial Times explains: Japan and Russia are discussing almost 100 economic co-operation projects as they prepare to negotiate over four disputed islands...
“Putin Is Completely Russia’s Puppet”
Russian journalist and politician Aleksandr Nevzorov is a frequent guest to Echo of Moscow radio station, co-hosts a television show on the independent Russian station TV Dozhd, and runs a column at snob.ru. He is the most vocal critic of the Russian Orthodox Church and one of the most prominent intellectuals in Russia today. He was elected to...
Saakashvili Washes Hands of Odessa
Mikheil Saakashvili is calling it quits as governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region. In announcing his resignation, the former Georgian president turned on his patron, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, accusing Ukraine’s leadership of endemic corruption. The Wall Street Journal reports: In a video posted to his official Facebook page,...
