By refusing to openly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, G20 leaders exposed the divisions in and limits of multilateral institutions. Russia and China are the beneficiaries. They worked well after 1945, when so many countries were trying to recover from the destruction wreaked by World War II. The United States …
Read More »Germany’s Missing Russia Strategy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has hardly changed the foreign-policy mindset in Berlin. Only a robust, long-term containment strategy can help the West curb Russia’s expansionist ambitions. Has Russia’s war against Ukraine fundamentally changed the thinking of policymakers in Berlin? Have they really understood that in the future European security must …
Read More »Prigozhin’s Death Shows Ultra-Patriots Are No Threat to the Kremlin
Russia’s ultra-patriots are not a cohesive force. They are a motley collection of amateur groups that coalesce around leaders who are ambitious, jealous, and incapable of working with each other.The late mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was until recently considered a leading Russian politician—with some even believing he could be a …
Read More »Putin Is Betting On a New Class of Asset Owners to Shore Up His Regime
In the absence of foreign investors, lucrative assets in Russia can be given for safekeeping to anyone who is “one of us.” Those people will owe their wealth to Putin personally, making them directly dependent on the Kremlin to preserve that wealth.Russia’s elites are unhappy about many things, not least …
Read More »Russia’s Growing Ties With Afghanistan Are More Symbolism Than Substance
As Russia’s relationship with the West has deteriorated, the Kremlin’s view of the Taliban has changed. But substantive economic cooperation will be hard to achieve.Russia is one of just a handful of states in the world actively seeking to strengthen its relationship with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. While Afghanistan’s …
Read More »China’s Communist Party Infiltrates American K-12 Schools
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has, or has had, ties to 143 school districts in the United States, including 20 near military bases, through its “Confucius Classrooms,” according to a recent report, “Little Red Classrooms: China’s Infiltration of American K-12 Schools” by Parents Defending Education (PDE), a grassroots organization. Attention …
Read More »The Intercept’s Latest Leak Might Deal Irreparable Damage To Pakistani-Chinese Relations
At the same time as Pakistani officials were negotiating with Russia to import oil and abstaining from anti-Russian UNGA Resolutions alongside China, their country’s arms were being used by Ukraine to kill Russians and therefore undermine China’s diplomatic efforts to freeze the most dangerous conflict since World War II. The …
Read More »CTC-ICT Focus on Israel: In Word and Deed? Global Jihad and the Threat to Israel and the Jewish Community
Abstract: Since the emergence of the global jihad movement, global jihadis have expressed their enmity to “Zionists”—jihadi code for Israel and the Jewish community worldwide—through ideological declarations and operations on the ground. Examining the correlation between global jihadi rhetoric and operational activities against Israel and the Jewish community, the present …
Read More »The Islamic State’s Shadow Governance in Eastern Syria Since the Fall of Baghuz
Abstract: Since losing its last semblance of control in Syria in March 2019, the Islamic State has spent the last four and a half years not only attempting to survive, but also working to create the conditions for returning to territorial control. While it is true that the organization’s insurgency …
Read More »North Korea, Russia and China: The Developing Trilateral Imperialist Partnership
We are increasingly greeted by stories of a developing partnership between Russia, China, and North Korea. Much of the world has isolated Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow’s constant targeting of civilians and its clear violations of international humanitarian law have only exacerbated this isolation. Running out of munitions …
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