Recent Posts

The Long Arm of the Strongman

How China and Russia Use Sharp Power to Threaten Democracies Democracies have struggled and autocracies have grown in strength in the past decade and a half. During this period, dictatorships have intensified and modernized their systems of repression. Governments in virtually every region, many ostensible democracies among them, have become …

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Inventing Crisis in Moldova: All Geopolitics Is Local

Summary: Despite relaxed relations between Moldova and Transdniestria, Russia has recently raised the alarm the frozen conflict might turn hot. Is it a serious threat or just a manufactured crisis? The U.S. politician Tip O’Neill is credited with the phrase “all politics is local.” UK prime minister Neville Chamberlain, too, …

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How much does Hamas’s rocket arsenal cost?

The arsenal of 14,000 rockets is believed to be worth millions. In the ongoing fight between Israel and Hamas about which side can outlast the other and who will seem more desperate for a ceasefire first, a key issue is cost. It is well-known that Iron Dome interceptors cost far …

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