Russian civilisationalism is proving handy as President Vladimir Putin seeks to expand the imaginary boundaries of his Russian World, whose frontiers are defined by Russian speakers and adherents to Russian culture rather than international law and/or ethnicity. Mr. Putin’s disruptive and expansive nationalist ideology has underpinned his aggressive approach to …

How ambitious are Russia’s foreign policy objectives, and how much force does Moscow believe it must employ to achieve them? Moscow has submitted various ultimatums, but the most critical and pressing issue is that the Kremlin now regards Ukraine as a permanently hostile country continuing to increase its defense capabilities. …

Some years ago, in the aftermath of Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea, I noted in this space the precedent set by the West’s support of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008. Kosovo had been part of Serbia and recognized as such in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. …

Judges in Frankfurt, Germany will begin hearing evidence on January 19, 2022 in a trial involving allegations of torture and murder by state agents during Syria’s decade-long brutal armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said. The start of the second trial in Germany for crimes against humanity committed in Syria, shows …

Emmanuel Macron wird vorgeworfen, ein Sonntagsredner zu sein. Und seine Atompolitik ist umstritten. Aber dennoch braucht ihn die EU. Europa, immer wieder Europa: Zum dritten Mal innerhalb von zwei Monaten hat Präsident Emmanuel Macron seine Pläne für den französischen EU-Vorsitz vorgestellt – diesmal vor dem Europaparlament in Straßburg. Ist Macron …

The relief at US President Joe Biden taking office was toasted by global leaders emptying their cut glass decanters in his honour, one year ago today. His promise of “strong, steady, stable leadership” didn’t sound like much of a sales pitch on the stumps, but a few weeks after the …

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded 10 teams more than $18 million total in first-round contracts for a program aimed at making night vision glasses less bulky and more powerful. The U.S. agency announced the Enhanced Night Vision in Eyeglass Form program last year, calling on industry and …

Officials in Berlin have rejected a renewed request by Ukraine for lethal, defensive equipment in the face of Russia’s massive troop buildup, effectively testing the restrictive arms-export policy enshrined in the government’s coalition agreement. Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, told German press agency DPA on Wednesday his country is …

Vladimir V. Putin met at the Kremlin with Iran’s new leader, Ebrahim Raisi, at a time when both their countries, despite their differences, are at odds with Washington. Sitting across a long table from President Vladimir V. Putin at a Covid-conscious distance, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran reminded his Russian …

U.S. special operators are continuing with a mission to build up an elite fighting force in Ukraine, military officials said, even as Russia threatens invasion with its thousands of troops, tanks and artillery massed along their borders. “The bottom line is that our training mission in Ukraine is ongoing,” Lt. …