Section: The National Interest (USA)
The Biggest News about the Trump-Putin Meeting Was That It Happened At All
Andrew C. Kuchins Security, Americas A relatively normal first meeting between Russian and American leaders is a good thing. At long last, nearly six months after his inauguration, Donald Trump finally had the opportunity to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin for more than two hours on Friday at the G-20 summit in Hamburg. Cable-news networks...
Can Kurt Volker Solve the Ukraine Crisis?
Curt Mills Politics, Eurasia Kurt Volker, widely known as a tough-minded and accomplished diplomat, confronts his biggest challenge in working to implement the Minsk agreements. As Donald Trump spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Hamburg late last week, his State Department announced the appointment of a tough-minded former NATO...
How America Can Fight Back Against Hybrid War on the High Seas
Michael Peck Security, Americas Time to bring back the Q-ships. Through the lens of the submarine’s periscope, the tramp steamer looks like a bathtub toy as it bobs on the waves. But to the German U-boat captain observing his prey from six feet below the surface of the North Atlantic, it’s the perfect victim. A lone merchant ship...
This Is How the G-20 Summit Helped Trump and Putin Claim Victories
Matthew Rojansky Politics, Eurasia Don’t anticipate a swift improvement in the largely dysfunctional U.S.-Russia relationship. For Putin, the dysfunction is useful for domestic politics. The much anticipated first face-to-face meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has taken place on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in...
The Trump-Putin Meeting: No More than Baby Steps
Nikolas K. Gvosdev Politics, Eurasia Nobody should expect major changes to happen overnight. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were scheduled to meet for only about thirty minutes, but they remained closeted together for over two hours today on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the first face-to-face meeting of the two...
Russian Gas Trumps American Sanctions
Nikolay Pakhomov Security, Europe Russian gas will inevitably remain part of the mix in Europe’s future energy market. A reinvigorated discussion of Russia’s energy policy in Europe has recently become part of the debate in Washington over new sanctions against Moscow. This discussion is worth having: on the one hand, it shows that...
Why Russia’s Military Is Bringing Back the World’s Biggest Hovercraft
Michael Peck Security, Europe While Russia is turning back toward Cold War hovercraft, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are looking toward the future. Russia will procure more Zubr (“bison”) hovercraft, a sixty-two-foot-long, 555-ton air-cushioned behemoth that can ferry three tanks, ten smaller armored vehicles or five hundred troops. Construction...
Just How Dangerous Is Russia’s Military?
Dave Majumdar Security, A big threat or a paper tiger? The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency has released a new assessment of Russian military power—reviving a Cold War-era practice. The agency concludes that the modern Russian military builds upon its Soviet heritage but has modernized its capabilities and doctrine for the present...
Who Is Making U.S. Foreign Policy?
Doug Bandow Security, Americas The world is paying attention to the Trump team’s foreign-policy fumbles. It’s a time of trial and tribulation for America’s allies and adversaries alike. Just what is U.S. policy these days? More fundamentally, who is deciding U.S. policy? A presidential transition always creates uncertainty. Even...
Russia’s Very Own A-10: Meet the Su-25 Frogfoot
Sebastien Roblin Security, Europe But is it as good? With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Su-25s were passed onto the air services of all the Soviet successor states. Those that didn’t use Su-25s in local wars—on both sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, for example—often exported them to countries that did. Frogfoots have seen...
