Eurasia

Don’t Blame Authoritarianism for Bad Peacekeeping

The United Nations has no standing army, despite its initial plans to create one. Instead, when it launches a peace operation—the best established tool the international community has to address security threats—it relies on member states to voluntarily contribute personnel and troops. These U.N. deployments have grown in number and …

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China Plays the Waiting Game on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Amid the looming threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western nations continue to use a wide-ranging toolkit of policy options, including diplomacy and security assistance, to avert the risk of a full-blown war in Eastern Europe. The U.K. is supplying short-range anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. Canada is deploying a …

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Poland’s Democratic Erosion Is as Worrying as Its Border Crisis

In September 2021, the Polish government declared a state of emergency along its border with Belarus, which is also the European Union’s eastern frontier, in response to a large influx of migrants from countries including Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The route and timing of the migrants’ journey into Europe was …

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A Gift to Putin: Biden’s Disastrous Response on Ukraine

On the menu today: President Biden’s comment about minor incursions by Russian forces into Ukraine is a big deal, much bigger than he realized when he said it — another indication that vast swaths of the American foreign-policy cognoscenti really are unable to understand Vladimir Putin. Elsewhere, Greg and I …

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America’s Coming Age of Instability

Why Constitutional Crises and Political Violence Could Soon Be the Norm When Joe Biden was sworn in as president a year ago today, many Americans breathed a heavy sigh of relief. President Donald Trump had tried to steal the election, but he had failed. The violent insurrection he incited on …

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America Needs a Bolder Biden

A Year In, His Foreign Policy Is Too Cautious and Conventional On August 31, 2021, a little more than two weeks after the government in Kabul fell, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a scorching defense of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. “To those asking for a third decade of war …

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Putin, Raisi look to boost trade, regional cooperation in Moscow talks

Ebrahim Raisi’s trip to Moscow is unlikely to further elevate relations between the two countries. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived today in Moscow where he held talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. “We want our relations with Russia to be strong and comprehensive. These relations will not be short …

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Pro-Erdogan business leaders anxious about Turkey’s economy

The pro-government business association MUSIAD has stood behind Erdogan’s controversial economic policies but appears concerned that both borrowing costs and foreign exchange prices remain above the desired levels. The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MUSIAD), founded in 1990 as an ally of Turkey’s political Islam movement, has stood behind President …

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“Havana Syndrome” – CIA Rules Out Foreign Power Involvement

“Havana Syndrome” came out as an accusation, first, against Cuba, and then, against Russia. Now, the CIA has found the fact: No hostile power, no foreign enemy was involved with the so-called Havana Syndrome. A report by NBC News – CIA says ‘Havana Syndrome’ not result of sustained global campaign …

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Why Is Armenia Able To Reconcile With Turkey But Not With Azerbaijan?

Armenia has always made far more devastating claims against Turkey, such as genocide committed against them in 1915, than against Azerbaijan and yet, there would seem to be on the horizon a breakthrough in Armenia’s relations with Turkey while the same is not true in Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan. Armenians …

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