Section: The National Interest (USA)
Did this Tsarist Officer Invent Russia’s Lethal Hybrid Warfare Strategy?
Michael Peck Security, Eurasia Russia’s government of former Soviet officials may have learned that strategy from an ex-Tsarist officer who hated Communism and fought for Hitler. Western nations have been flummoxed by “hybrid warfare,” that mix of conventional and unconventional operations that Russia has used to deadly effect in Ukraine....
Budapest is Burning: The Hungarian Revolt That Shook the Soviet Empire
Michael Peck Politics, Europe The 1956 uprising ultimately failed, but delivered a serious shock to the Soviet system. It was sixty years ago when teenagers hurling Molotov cocktails breached a crack in the Iron Curtain. In the autumn of 1956, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and the rest of eastern Europe seemed firmly in the grip of the Soviet...
Get Ready, Russia: The U.S. Marines Might Be Going to Norway to Stay
Kevin Knodell Security, Europe Proposal follows years of strong military ties between Washington and Oslo. Dozens of U.S. Marines may soon be getting a new home in Norway. If the two countries finalize the deal, the deployments would follow years of strong military ties between Washington and Oslo. As of October 2016, the Norwegian parliament was...
Why the U.S.-Built House of Cards in the Middle East Is Falling Apart
Bernd Kaussler, Glenn Hastedt Security, Middle East It is time for the United States to adopt a foreign policy toward the region that is more consistent with realist principles. While lies are almost uniformly held to be unacceptable in the context of a liberal democracy, this is not entirely the case in foreign policy where realists often value...
NATO May Not Be Ready to Fight Russia
Ian Brzezinski, Nicholas Varangis Security, Europe If military exercises demonstrate combat readiness, Russia may have the edge. Military exercises are a critical means of testing, refining and demonstrating readiness for combat operations. In February 2015, we published a chart comparing the magnitudes of military exercises conducted by NATO and...
Why the U.S. Military Should Worry If the Philippines Says Goodbye (And It Involves China)
James Hasik Security, Asia Today, actual Philippine neutrality might finally stick a fork in the Navy’s fascination with closing the Chinese coast for a tight blockade. Back in March, as Military Times optimistically reported, the US military was planning to place “permanent logistics facilities” at five bases in the Philippines. In May,...
One Day’s Worth of Federal Spending Per Year Can Avert U.S. Military Defeat in Europe
Loren B. Thompson Security, United States The United States is facing a potential military crisis in Europe, and not enough is being done to avert it. The United States is facing a potential military crisis in Europe, and not enough is being done to avert it. The problem is that a resurgent Russia is moving to reclaim lost influence along its...
Grand Strategy: What is America’s Most Pressing Foreign Policy Issue?
Ted Ellis Security, ISIS? China? Russia? The South China Sea. There are a variety of potential threats around the world today: tensions in the South China Seas, a nuclear North Korea, conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and civil wars in the Middle East are just a few. In order to better think about these challenges and how they relate to U.S....
The U.S. Navy in an Irregular Baltic Conflict: Seapower’s Role in Countering Russian Hybrid Warfare
Joshua Tallis Security, Russia Sea power is difficult, though not impossible, to bring to bear in an unconventional Baltic contingency. Editor’s Note: The article below is derived from a forthcoming CNA report. The paper, tentatively titled Baltic Contingencies and the Role of Sea Power, is the first in a series set to explore the role of...
Why There’s Growing Distance Between Washington and Berlin
Scott B. MacDonald Politics, Europe The glue of the Cold War has given way to a less well-defined commonality of national interests. Stress has crept into the dialogue between the world’s largest and fourth largest economies — the United States and Germany, respectively. That stress is generated by trade, tax and regulatory issues, but also...
