Section: The National Interest (USA)
Are Russia Sanctions Here to Stay?
TNI Staff Politics, Eurasia Or are they just a convenient extension of politics? On May 25, the Center for the National Interest hosted a panel discussion of U.S. sanctions on Russia. The event was broadcast live on the National Interest’s Facebook page and can be viewed here. Three leading experts concurred that while the U.S. sanctions...
What Would Russia Look Like Today if World War II Never Happened?
Michael Peck Security, What if Hitler had remained a failed painter in Vienna, or had been blown up by an assassin’s bomb in a Munich beer hall? True, Operation Barbarossa devastated the industry and natural resources of Russia and Ukraine, a shortfall only part made up by Lend-Lease and postwar Soviet looting of Germany. Stalin’s...
Ukraine’s Government Is Failing to Unite Ukrainians
Nicolai N. Petro, Josh Cohen Politics, Eurasia The current course of denigrating those deemed insufficiently Ukrainian will only lead to a fracturing of the country. Last month Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko dramatically expanded his country’s sanctions against Russia by imposing multiyear sanctions on a number of IT companies. Once...
Russia is Bringing Back Its World War II ‘Shock Armies’
Michael Peck Security, Moscow is merely using the glories and heroism of the Red Army of the Great Patriotic War to motivate its soldiers of today. During World War II, one of the weapons that the Soviet Union employed to destroy Nazi Germany was the “Shock Army.” These were reinforced army-sized formations used to tear holes in the German lines...
If Europe Really Worried About Russia, It Would Get Serious About Defense Spending
Doug Bandow Security, Europe Ignore what they say. Look at what they do. NATO leaders got acquainted with President Donald Trump this week. One can only imagine what they thought of the Donald. Their main objective was to reinforce the efforts of his aides to turn him into a traditional American cheerleader for European dependence. For those...
Russia Has One Super ‘Cannon’ That Can Kill Cities
Sebastien Roblin Security, It holds the title of the largest mortar system in use today. Russia maintains just one active battalion of eight 2S4s in service, with over four hundred in reserve. In 2000, Tyulpans played a prominent role in the siege of Grozny in the second Chechen war, systematically “leveling” the city from afar according to one...
Russia Fears NATO (And These 5 Weapons Are a Big Reason Why)
Dave Majumdar Security, Europe Weapons Moscow won’t want to face in a showdown. The Boeing AH-64A Apache helicopter gunship was first introduced in 1986 as a weapon to blunt an anticipated Soviet armored spearhead punching through the Fulda Gap in what is now central Germany. The Apache proved itself an able tank killer during the 1991 Gulf...
Fact: America’s Military Might Peaked in the 1990s (And Its Not Coming Back)
Robert Farley Security, And the reasons are simple. A wise man once pointed out that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Relative to the 1970s and 1980s, the United States is almost incomparably powerful and secure, enjoying presumptive military advantage over any opponent or plausible coalition of opponents....
China’s New ‘Silk Road’ Is Based on Its National-Security Agenda
James Jay Carafano Security, Asia Chinese influencers are popping up across the European landscape. Trump’s trip to Europe has several stops. Still, his travels might be light on substance. That’s all right. He’ll be back. In fact, there is likely to be a significant uptick in the transatlantic dialogue. And there is likely...
China’s New ‘Silk Road’ Is Based on Its National-Security Agenda
James Jay Carafano Security, Asia Chinese influencers are popping up across the European landscape. Trump’s trip to Europe has several stops. Still, his travels might be light on substance. That’s all right. He’ll be back. In fact, there is likely to be a significant uptick in the transatlantic dialogue. And there is likely...
