Section: Atlantic Council (USA)
Will Assad Rescue Putin from the Ukrainian Quagmire?
For fifteen years, Gleb Pavlovsky worked as an adviser to Russian Presidents Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and the one-term Dmitry Medvedev. He was one of the chief architects behind the “power vertical” concept— the need for a strong leader in order to create stability. Freedom and democracy were supposed to “come...
Ukraine’s Leaders Must Engage Disillusioned Citizens Now
In many respects, Ukraine is unrecognizable from the place it was a mere two years ago. Civic engagement has clearly increased, as seen by the remarkable mobilization of volunteers, flourishing of local civic groups, and generous donations for a variety of causes. A sense of vitality and energy pervades the country—unlike a few years ago, when...
A Gift to Putin
An odd thing happened on President Barack Obama’s way to New York for meetings at the UN with world leaders. He forgot to schedule a session with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Of course, New York City is flooded with world leaders at this time of year, and Obama does not have time to meet with all of them.But the buzz this week is...
Is Syria Putin’s Off-Ramp from the Ukraine Crisis?
Ever since Moscow’s “little green men” appeared in Crimea, the West has been anxious to provide Russian President Vladimir Putin an “off-ramp” from his aggression in Ukraine. US, French, German, and European Union diplomats have made numerous efforts to find a face-saving way for Putin to back off.For the longest...
Europe’s Next Wave of Migrants May Come From Ukraine
In chess, a player is in “zugzwang” when no move will rescue his situation.Russian President Vladimir Putin has put Ukraine in “zugzwang” and, as things now stand, the country is unable to move forward militarily, economically or diplomatically.Without relief, Europe may end up with another deluge of asylum seekers, this...
Russia Looking for an Exit?
As Russia increases its support for beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rebels in eastern Ukraine have observed a ceasefire since September 1. The second Minsk ceasefire agreement, signed in February, had been repeatedly violated. But things have changed. Some separatist leaders have left the area, returning to posh jobs in Moscow....
Creating ‘A Piece of America’ in the Carpathian Mountains
Camp America, located at a charmingly rustic resort in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains, welcomed twenty young Ukrainians for a week in August. For most of them, Camp America—a 24/7 English-language environment where all activities are conducted in English—was their first experience with native English speakers.”I like to tell our...
Investigative Journalists Present Exhaustive Report on ‘Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine’
The Russian government under President Vladimir Putin is “directly coordinating and leading the fight to destabilize and disunite Ukraine”—despite Putin’s increasingly desperate efforts to hide the truth—concludes a damning report issued September 17. “An Invasion by Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine” is a joint...
How Putin Shot Himself in the Foot
Russian propaganda managed to surpass its own absurdity when the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, claimed that Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk fought alongside rebel forces in both Chechen wars. Yatsenyuk supposedly tortured and executed Russian soldiers there. This apparently took place in the...
How the West Can Stand Up to Putin
Winter is less than four months away, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is already freezing eastern Ukraine.No, I’m not talking about the possibility of Ukraine not being able to renegotiate lower gas prices this year. (That’s another issue entirely).The kind of freeze that Putin is plotting for Ukraine is political. For more than...
