Recent Posts

Ukraine: What Russia wants, what the West can do

For those who understand Moscow’s establishment and view of their country’s vital interests, none of this should be a surprise. The illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked the West and many ordinary Russians. But for those who understand the Russian establishment and its view of Russia’s vital interests, it …

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Why sanctions on Russia are necessary

Such measures are critical to holding Moscow accountable for its actions — but they are not a longterm fix and must be carefully calibrated. From the beginning of the crisis sanctions have been assumed to be both the central deterrent to Russian aggression, and the critical punishment if it violated …

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A New Germany

How Putin’s Aggression Is Changing Berlin Within a week, Germany has undergone a dramatic transformation, shedding its reluctant and dovish foreign policy and committing itself to drastically increase defense spending. The shock of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine spurred Berlin to send thousands of antitank and antiaircraft weapons …

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Crisis Over Ukraine: A Primer

Anceps fortuna belli (The fate of war is uncertain) – Cicero (106-43BCE) A Facebook friend asked me to write something on the Ukraine crisis for his page in Q & A form. Q: Briefly, what is the recent historical background to this conflict? A: The 2014 coup d’état in Ukraine …

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Israel torn over ties with Russian oligarchs

Formulating its policy on the Ukraine crisis, Israel must take into account its coordination with Russia in Syria, its special relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, its super important alliance with the United States and its large Russian-Ukraine-born population. At a Feb. 27 meeting of Israel’s foreign affairs and security …

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Rapid Response: The future of European energy security

The Ukraine crisis has generated a level of attention on energy security that has been sorely lacking over the past decade. European dependence on Russian gas and global dependence on Russian oil is limiting Western action against Russia. However, with Germany halting the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline; …

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