August has not been the best of months for Russian President Vladimir Putin. His country largely excluded from the Rio Olympics — and completely barred from the Paralympics — because of a doping scandal, Putin is facing complicated challenges at home and abroad. Continued U.S. and European economic sanctions over Russia’s military intervention in the Ukraine, plus […]
“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter
The Indispensible NATO Alliance
Posted April 7th, 2016 at 4:10 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
The kind of conventional military conflict that NATO was designed to deter — a Red Army invasion of Western Europe — is more of a danger now that at any time since the fall of the Berlin War. Russia under Vladimir Putin has rebuilt its military and has undertaken a series of invasion of its […]
Putin’s Syria Surprise
Posted March 15th, 2016 at 1:30 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
“I consider the objectives that have been set for the Defense Ministry to be generally accomplished.” The words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on Monday declared victory in Syria and announced his troops would withdraw. The unexpected decision coincided with the start of Syria peace talks in Geneva. Cagey as ever, it’s hard to read Putin’s motives. Was it getting too messy? Did he want to paint President Barack Obama as “weak?” Is he looking for support on the homefront? Or, was it all just to show the international community that Russia is, and will remain, a player? The only part of this that is known is that Putin has once again stunned his friends and foes.
Rationalizing Putin’s Syrian Victory
Posted March 15th, 2016 at 8:14 am (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
In review, it’s fair to say that the Syrian adventure has been a victory for Vladimir Putin. Today, Assad’s position is all but secure.
Diplomacy, Not US ‘Boots on the Ground,’ Is Still the Best Option in Syria
Posted November 9th, 2015 at 8:16 am (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Of the two initiatives, the attempt to pursue a diplomatic solution deserves priority, even if an accord doesn’t lead to the immediate resignation of Assad.
The Myth of Putin’s Strategic Genius
Posted November 2nd, 2015 at 9:03 am (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Five years ago, Russia was in a much stronger position, both at home and in the world. Today, Mr. Putin is playing defense, doubling down on bad decisions guided by an outdated theory of international politics.
How the West Propped Up Putin
Posted October 28th, 2015 at 2:42 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Physical and social insecurity are easy targets in fragile democracies, and throughout history, autocrats and military juntas have been empowered by the people’s call for order and a strong hand to steady a wobbly democratic regime. Somehow, people always forget that it’s much easier to install a dictator than to remove one.
Obama Just Fell for a Classic Russian Ruse
Posted October 27th, 2015 at 11:02 am (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Putin’s offers of “cooperation” are aimed at weakening Western resistance to Russia’s rising influence in the region and more broadly. Russia’s increasing confidence is also reflected in its worldwide interest in critical undersea communications cables, implicitly threatening their destruction in time of war.
Frozen Russia
Posted October 23rd, 2015 at 9:43 am (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Russian consumers are increasingly unhappy, but their discontent is being frozen in depression rather than manifested in social protest.
Obama’s Dangerous “No War, No Peace” Strategy in Syria
Posted October 19th, 2015 at 3:44 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
It is unfortunate, if predictable, that much of Washington’s foreign policy elite would line up behind a confrontation with Russia over Syria. Americans perceive Russian President Vladimir Putin as an autocrat and a bully and are frustrated that he appears to have outmaneuvered the Obama administration.
US Shifts Strategy Again. This Time in Syria
Posted October 16th, 2015 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
The Obama administration is pursuing a new tactic to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The shift to a “Syria First” strategy came after the United States ended its plan to train so-called “moderate Syrians,” an expensive strategy that produced few results. The idea goes something like this: by shifting America’s focus from Iraq to Syria first, Washington can battle IS independently of Iran, and hopefully set the stage for a post-Assad Syria. But there’s a hitch: Russia. President Vladimir Putin, a vocal supporter of the Syrian president, has made his presence known, complicating an already very complicated scenario for the United States.
Syria: Russian Quagmire? American Quandary
Posted October 6th, 2015 at 4:33 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
Three-dimensional military and diplomatic chess is being played out in the Middle East. Russian warplanes have forayed into Turkish, and by alliance, NATO airspace while flying sorties to support the beleaguered Syrian government. Turkey’s prime minister warns Russian jets could be shot down if they trespass again. Battle-tested Russian “volunteers” may soon put boots on the ground alongside Syrian forces, according to a top Russian official. Is Washington ceding influence in the Middle East to Moscow? Or, is Russia repeating its Afghan mistake? It will likely take years to get to checkmate.
What Checkhov Tells Us About Putin’s Syria Airstrikes
Posted October 1st, 2015 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
Comments are closed
“I find it interesting that the language Moscow is using to justify and describe its military intervention in Syria borrows so much from the lexicon that the US used to talk about its invasion of Iraq,” says Alexander Kliment, a director specializing in Russia at the Eurasia Group.