General Ben Hodges, Commanding General of the U.S. Army in Europe, discusses the threat posed by Russia, the situation regarding Ukraine and the new policy of opening all Army positions, including combat, to women.
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U.S. European Commander on Russia, Women in Combat
Posted December 10th, 2015 at 8:27 am (UTC-4)
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Putin Pouts
Posted December 3rd, 2015 at 11:28 am (UTC-4)
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Truth be told, I once rather admired Vladimir Putin, as George W. Bush rather admired him. I cannot say, as Bush can, that I looked into his eyes and “was able to get a sense of his soul.” But his nation has suffered through a long century, when the Western world had achieved so much.
Putin’s Syrian Misadventure
Posted December 2nd, 2015 at 10:27 am (UTC-4)
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Putin’s “crafty” Syrian chess move has left him with a lot more dead Russians; newly at odds with Turkey and Iran; weakened in Ukraine; acting as the defense lawyer for Assad — a mass murderer of Sunni Muslims, the same Sunni Muslims as Putin has in Russia; and with no real advances against ISIS.
Putin Takes Ineffectual Aim at Turkey
Posted November 30th, 2015 at 4:40 pm (UTC-4)
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President Vladimir Putin is so angry with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey that he won’t talk to him on the phone or meet with him at the United Nations climate talks in Paris. But Putin can’t do much to hurt Erdogan or his country; he can only make life a little more difficult for Russians.
Success in Ukraine Could Threaten Western Unity
Posted November 23rd, 2015 at 1:52 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s headlines about Syria obscure a major triumph for Western policy. Ukraine seems to be heading toward an informal settlement largely on European and U.S. terms. Yet this success could threaten the very Western unity that brought it about.
Teaming up with Russia in Syria Could be a Dangerous False Step for the U.S.
Posted November 19th, 2015 at 12:15 pm (UTC-4)
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Mr. Putin is doing his best to look like a potential partner. On Tuesday, after weeks of obfuscation, his government suddenly confirmed that the Islamic State was responsible for the bombing of a Russian airliner last month, and Russian forces carried out a rare wave of attacks against the Islamic State capital, Raqqa.
Morality, Pragmatism, and Orwell in Rhetoric and Policy
Posted November 12th, 2015 at 2:53 pm (UTC-4)
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We’ve all gotten very familiar with Vladimir Putin’s Orwellian logic, according to which peace is war, intervention is non-intervention, democracy is fascism, and fascism is democracy. His latest comments at the Valdai discussion club just reinforced, if any reinforcing were still necessary, the point that the man is a master of mendacity.
Russia Cracks Down on an Important Voice for Human Rights
Posted November 12th, 2015 at 11:47 am (UTC-4)
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The Russian Ministry of Justice has taken another step toward suffocating Memorial, one of the world’s most respected human rights and civil society organizations. The Kremlin hopes to cripple a group that has courageously defended the memory of Stalin’s victims, while carrying out independent research into modern human rights abuses.
Vladimir Putin’s Doping Scandal Should Surprise No One
Posted November 10th, 2015 at 11:04 am (UTC-4)
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Big picture: Global athletics — hosting top events, having Russian jocks win big — are key to legitimizing Putin’s corrupt rule. His regime will bribe, cheat and cover up as needed to inflate Russia’s image
Ukraine is in Danger of Becoming a Failed State
Posted November 6th, 2015 at 5:01 pm (UTC-4)
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Despite attempts at change by a new generation of bureaucrats, Ukraine’s economy remains unreformed. Taxes are oppressive but widely evaded, the shadow economy is growing and the regulatory climate for business has barely improved.
Growing Up in the Shadow of ‘Brother Putin’
Posted November 6th, 2015 at 10:09 am (UTC-4)
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The latest hip-hop hit in Russia is a bass-speaker-shaking tribute to the ex-KGB officer who has ruled the country for over 15 years. “My best friend is Vladimir Putin …” my six-year-old daughter, Masha, walked into the room. “My brother,” she said, glancing at the screen and smiling. “Putin is my brother!”
Baltics in Crosshairs Between NATO and Russia
Posted November 5th, 2015 at 4:42 pm (UTC-4)
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VILNIUS, LITHUANIA — Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and ongoing war in Ukraine have cast a shadow across Central and Eastern Europe, but nowhere is it darker than in the Baltic States. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the only former Soviet republics to have joined either NATO or the EU. That factor especially seems […]
Syria: The Need for Diplomacy and De-escalation
The current policy—gradually escalating the war in the hope of forcing a comprehensive political transition—is unlikely to succeed. … Assad is backed not only by sizeable military forces and a considerable portion of his population but also—and perhaps most importantly—by major outside powers determined to prevent the collapse of his regime.