Recent Posts

Putin is now openly planning for war against Nato

We are still doing far too little to prepare for the eventuality that Russia is victorious in Ukraine Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured his historic fifth term in office, it is patently clear that he will devote his next six-year spell at the Kremlin to pursuing his …

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Kremlin Seeks Greater Battlefield Effectiveness With Military Purge

Officials who were removed include both close associates of former defense minister Sergei Shoigu, and generals seen to have failed in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin’s replacement of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with economist Andrei Belousov on May 12 was accompanied by a series of arrests and dismissals among the …

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Russia Will Never Accept an Armenian Withdrawal

Europe’s tempting of Armenia toward integration with Europe could end in disaster for Yerevan. For strategic reasons, Russia has openly or tacitly supported separatist or Eurosceptic movements in Europe (whether the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” from the EU, Scottish independence, or Catalan separatism) to weaken the unity of its rivals. Of …

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De-Europeanization in the EU’s Neighborhood

Being pro-EU does not win politicians many votes in the Western Balkans and the Caucasus. There, Viktor Orbán’s version of an illiberal Europe appears to be the union’s top-rated political export. It is election season in Europe. Starting today and until June 9, voters in twenty-seven EU member states will …

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Iran Update, June 5, 2024

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami threatened to retaliate against Israel for the June 3 airstrike that killed IRGC Quds Force Gen. Saeid Abyar in Aleppo, Syria.[i] Abyar was a member of the IRGC Quds Force and had been stationed in Syria since 2012.[ii] Salami stated …

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Between Russia and the EU: Europe’s Arc of Instability

Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Serbia are caught in between Russia and the EU, building ties with the latter even as the former seeks to maintain influence there and deter the West. Introduction The war in Ukraine has left a group of “in-between” European countries more vulnerable and …

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