By James Kirchick To best understand Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach to foreign policy, envision the world as a global protection racket. From the Scottish borderlands of the 16th century to the American urban areas of the mid and late 20th, powerful clans have extorted weaker actors for “protection.” What these poor farmers or shop […]
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Is Time Working For or Against Putin?
Posted September 28th, 2015 at 1:05 pm (UTC-4)
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What ails the Russian economy? Take your pick. Up until now, Putin has always made sure that pensions keep pace with inflation and are paid in full. Now, because of the collapse in the price of oil and deep recession, that type of money is simply not available.
Putin’s Pre-U.N. Charm Offensive: Fake or Breakthrough?
Posted September 21st, 2015 at 11:06 am (UTC-4)
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Moscow think tanks believe the carefully planned and staged remarks were meant to send two important signals to the West before Putin’s meetings at the U.N. General Assembly later this month: First, he is ready to freeze the war in Eastern Ukraine, and secondly, he wants to join the West in the fight against ISIS
Why Waiting for Russia to Collapse is Terrible Ukraine Policy
Posted September 1st, 2015 at 2:49 pm (UTC-4)
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In one narrative, the declining economy will galvanize widespread public opposition to the Putin government, as hundreds of thousands of Russians are set to fall below the poverty line … It seems quite dangerous, however, to base policy towards Russia on assumptions of a forthcoming economic disaster.
Containing and Engaging Russia
Posted July 21st, 2015 at 11:43 am (UTC-4)
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Russia is working hard to weaken the European Union, courting the governments of Hungary and Greece, and funding extremist political parties in France, Bulgaria, Austria, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Belgium…. How to respond? The West needs to sharpen its approach.
Ukraine’s Bumpy Road to Normalcy
Posted June 30th, 2015 at 12:43 pm (UTC-4)
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The appearance of normalcy is both a façade and a coping mechanism. People know full well that times are hard and that soldiers are dying … They know that Vladimir Putin and his proxies are threatening to unleash a devastating war against Ukraine and kill thousands more.
Poroshenko Makes Putin Look Like a Wimp
Posted June 4th, 2015 at 4:10 pm (UTC-4)
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If Ukraine manages to pull out of the deepest crisis in its history and re-emerge as a functioning democratic country with a liberal economic model, it will do more to undermine Russians’ passive support for Putin than any Western pressure ever could.
Biden: Helping Ukraine … is critical to checking further aggression down the road.
Posted June 3rd, 2015 at 2:31 pm (UTC-4)
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How Putin’s Ukrainian Dream Turned Into a Nightmare
Putin’s plans of weakening Ukraine have backfired. Ukraine is slowly getting stronger, while Russia is getting weaker. Time is, therefore, on the side of Ukraine and the West. They should avoid offering Putin any relief as long as Russian and proxy troops continue to occupy Ukrainian territory