Section: The National Interest (USA)
The Obama Doctrine: Made for the ’90s, Disastrous Today
James F. Jeffrey Global Governance, Americas The president isn’t interested in protecting the global status quo. Among the copious commentary on President Obama’s extraordinary foreign policy interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg (“The Obama Doctrine”), Paul Pillar’s approving piece in the National Interest stands...
How Russia Views Its ‘Compatriots’ in the Near Abroad
Vera Zakem, Paul J. Saunders Politics, Eurasia The Kremlin sees ethnic Russians as a powerful ally in the region. Approaching the second anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea, formalized with his signature on a parliamentary bill on March 18, 2014, Russia’s dramatic intervention in Syria has shifted...
The Obama Doctrine and Ukraine
Steven Pifer, John Herbst Politics, Eurasia Has Washington done enough to support Kyiv? In an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, President Obama laid out key elements of his approach to foreign policy. There is much in it with which one can agree. “Don’t do stupid s——” makes sense as an axiom of foreign policy—or of any...
What’s at Stake in Morocco’s Royal Trip to Russia
Ahmed Charai Politics, Africa King Mohammed VI visits the Kremlin for the first time since 2002. On March 15, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI is slated to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow—his first visit to the country since 2002. The agenda will cover a variety of bilateral issues with bearing on the two countries’...
Russia Looks to Off-Load Lethal New Frigates to India
Dave Majumdar Security, “We’re holding talks on the possibility of selling these frigates to the Indian side.” Russia is hoping to sell three of its six planned Project 11356-class frigates to India. Moscow is hoping to rid itself of those ships because of their Ukrainian-built engines. The Russian Navy commissioned the first Project...
Flattop Faceoff: China’s Pride vs. America’s Arrogance
Peter Navarro Security, Asia Is Beijing’s aircraft carrier something to be concerned about? In Defense Report, Stewart Webb writes, “Anonymous sources within the U.S. Navy’s senior command have revealed that the U.S. is not concerned over any immediate threat from the introduction of China’s latest aircraft carrier in the...
4 Alternatives to U.S. Troops in the Baltics
Alexander Kirss Security, Eurasia America can raise the costs for Russia without boots on the ground. It didn’t take long following the Russian annexation of Crimea for foreign policy analysts to agree that the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were potentially vulnerable to a similar form of aggression. In recent months the...
Why Syria Won’t Save U.S.-Russia Relations
Paul J. Saunders Politics, Eurasia The high cost of dysfunction Many of those who seek a more functional U.S.-Russia relationship—in both Washington and Moscow—have hoped that cooperation in stabilizing Syria and combating the so-called Islamic State could provide an important new opportunity to stabilize U.S.-Russia ties as well. Unfortunately,...
China’s Aircraft Carriers: The Ultimate Paper Tiger?
Dave Majumdar Security, Asia “The aircraft carriers that they’re building will not have the same blue open ocean capability that our aircraft carriers have.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) aircraft carriers won’t be able to conduct blue water operations in the way the U.S. Navy’s flattops do. Nor...
How to Lose a Proxy War with Russia
Michael Kofman Global Governance, Eurasia The only winning move is not to play. The tenuous cease-fire deal in Syria offers an opportunity for reflection on not just the Syrian war, but also the conflict in Ukraine, where the war burned bright this time last year and still simmers. Aspects of the conflict in Syria offer a window on how a proxy...
