Section: The American Interest (USA)
Tusk: New EU Sanctions on Russia “Impossible”
With the ceasefire in Ukraine more or less holding, the question remains whether Europe will be able to keep a common Russia policy in place. In an interview with the New York Times, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sounded a cautious note, largely writing off the possibility of tougher sanctions at the moment, even as President Obama was...
Collateral Damage
The war in Ukraine seems fated to be a drawn-out, lose-lose proposition. Paradoxically, notwithstanding the recent triumph of Russian arms in the Donbass—in fact, partly because of it—the Russians are shaping up to be the biggest losers of all. Recall that the original justification for Russia’s intervention was to save ethnic Russians and...
Italy Opens a Window for Russia
Just how worried is Italy about ISIS in Libya? During a state visit to Moscow, Italian PM Matteo Renzi asked Vladimir Putin to help resolve the crisis in North Africa, raising alarming prospects of an intra-NATO and -EU split. The Financial Times reports: “We need an incisive international response and Russia’s role can be decisive given...
The Murder of Boris Nemtsov and Our Obligations
Slamming the Putin regime for its human rights abuses, corruption, and its invasion of Ukraine from the distance of Washington is easy to do. I do it all the time and never worry about my safety. But for Russians living in Russia, to do it takes enormous courage. Some Russians live in exile because the risks to their personal safety reached a...
Russia Grumbles About U.S. Military Trainers in Ukraine
American military trainers are now on the ground in Ukraine, and Russia is not happy about it. The LA Times reports: Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday called the arrival of U.S. military trainers in western Ukraine a “provocation” and warned Ukrainians that they should rethink the consequences of hosting Western forces. “U.S.-Ukrainian...
Strengthening “Atlantic Resolve”
With Russia holding massive military drills as shows of force in sensitive places like Crimea and South Ossetia, and with Moscow’s bombers getting in the way of civilian airliners in Irish-controlled airspace, the West has decided to step up its response. Operation Atlantic Resolve, a mission to place NATO troops in countries on...
Turkey Takes a Tumble
With the Turkish lira at a record low against the dollar and growth stalling, President Erdogan is employing some unusual measures to keep Turkey’s fragile economy afloat. The Financial Times reports: Last week, after intense pressure for lower interest rates from Mr Erdogan, the central bank cut overnight rates by a bigger than expected 50...
Kiev Keeps Gas Prepayments Small
One day before its prepaid gas supplies would have run out, Ukraine’s state-owned gas firm Naftogaz paid its Russian counterpart Gazprom $15 million, enough to keep supplies flowing for five more days. Reuters reports: Russian natural gas exporter Gazprom said on Thursday that it had received a $15 million prepayment from Ukrainian state...
The Arms Control Fallacy
What do the P5+Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the war in eastern Ukraine have in common? Several things, perhaps; but the most obvious (to me) is the extremely marginal utility of arms control in the broader strategic context that defines both issues. Prime Minister Netanyahu has come, spoken, and gone. His speech...
Putin’s Desire for Failure
We in the West have always feared failed states. They breed geopolitical chaos, criminal networks, havens for terrorist groups, and internal violence—in some cases leading to ethnic cleansing and genocide. We fear these things because they mark a return to the pre-Leviathan world of poverty and bloody instability. Domestic stability leads to...
