Section: The American Interest (USA)
Saving the West
In an April 2001 letter to the editor of the Washington Post, Senator Jesse Helms, the then-firebrand conservative from North Carolina—irked by what he saw as an uppity and naive European Union—wrote that he was “heartened by the news that EU is willing to step in and fill the security void left by the United States on the Korean peninsula.” But...
Score One For Putin in Ukraine
One effect of, if not a rationale for, Putin’s Syria intervention is to distract from Ukraine. The Paris summit on Friday was overshadowed by images of Russian fighter jets over Syria. Indeed, Russia appears satisfied with its accomplishments in Ukraine and supports the current ceasefire, no doubt in part because the Kremlin hopes it will...
Russia-NATO Confrontation Over Turkish Airspace
Russia hasn’t wasted any time shattering Western illusions in Syria. First, despite initial rhetoric about fighting terror, they bombed every anti-Assad force in sight except ISIS. Then, they killed any hope of a no-fly zone. Russian authorities announced on Friday that the Moskva, a naval cruiser armed with 64 S-300 ship-to-air missiles,...
Putin’s Pianos
Though Russian jets streak over Syria, dispersing ordnance against the remnants of the U.S. trained anti-Assad resistance forces, Putin’s main strategic target lies outside the MENA region. In immediate terms, Putin’s play in Syria is about the survival of the Assad regime and the positioning of Russia to play a key role in the final...
Coming into Alignment
Almost a year ago, a report on Sweden’s international defense cooperation, commissioned by the Swedish Defense Minister, was presented to the new Swedish government. The main conclusion of the report was that some Swedish policies should be reviewed and an official study of the pros and cons of NATO membership undertaken, preferably...
Putin, Obama and the Middle East
The latest news from what used to be Syria is that Russian pilots have undertaken combat missions on behalf of the Assad regime—but not so much against ISIS. Some Syrian rebels who have been receiving U.S. aid via the CIA since 2013 appear to be among the targets—so claimed Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, and he should know. Worse, despite...
Putin Woos The Euros
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with European leaders and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Friday to discuss further steps in de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine. The takeaway? The Minsk process, which was to see Ukraine get back control over its eastern border with Russia, will not complete by the end of the year. Part of the problem...
Russian Economy in Deep Trouble
As everyone’s eyes are fixed on the Russian fighters zooming through the skies over Syria, things aren’t actually so glamorous back in the Motherland. Bloomberg has the story: [Anatoly] Anisimov, 50, has put his plans on hold as he digs in for what could be Russia’s longest recession in almost two decades. “Nothing good awaits...
Ukraine Rebels Talking About “End of War”
Russian-backed separatists are indicating that they might be willing to make the current ceasefire permanent, according to Reuters: A separatist representative to east Ukraine peace talks said on Wednesday an agreement signed with Kiev this week to withdraw more weapons could mean an end to the war with the Ukrainian government, separatist...
Ukraine, Russia, and the EU Strike Gas Deal
European officials have helped broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia that will guarantee natural gas deliveries this winter. The European Commission announced the agreement: The European Commission, the Russian Federation and Ukraine have agreed on the terms of gas deliveries to Ukraine for the upcoming winter period from the 1st of October...
