Recent Posts

Is the Middle East next on Putin’s agenda? What the US can do to prepare

Conventional wisdom has it that the conflict in Ukraine will lead the United States to bolster its military presence along NATO’s boundary in Eastern Europe, with a concomitant downscaling in the Middle East. While presenting a robust front in support of NATO is of course critical, it would be a …

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Nationalist and Imperial Thinking Define Putin’s Vision for Russia

Putin has been seen as rational and realist in his foreign and security policy, calculating and often opportunistic. His decision to mount a full-scale military assault on Ukraine, however, highlights a shift by Russia’s president to embrace ethno-nationalist motivations, driven by a sense of a historic mission to rectify perceived …

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China’s Soft Shoe on Ukraine

Hard geopolitics dominates China’s view of Russian action in Ukraine. In the West, China’s views on Ukraine have largely been seen through the lenses that people want to interpret China’s actions. Some fear Beijing will use the opportunity to do something in Taiwan, while others instead suggest that this will …

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