Section: Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (Israel)
Mariupol: An On-Site Report
Leni and Jiri Valenta with soldier in Mariupol, photo via the authorsBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,136, April 9, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Although Vladimir Putin has not articulated the final objective of his proxy war in eastern Ukraine, his actions seem to indicate that he is determined to create a land bridge from Mariupol to Odessa –...
In Mideast Protests, Ultras Are Down but Not Out
El-Ahly AFC Ultras, image via Wikimedia CommonsBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,116, March 19, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Middle East soccer fans played an important role in the 2011 popular revolts. Regimes across the region are determined to ensure that they will not have another such opportunity. Ali Issa Ahmad, a British soccer fan, lingered...
How Trump Should Counter Putin in Ukraine and Venezuela
USAF plane carrying humanitarian aid for Venezuela, February 22, 2019, US Air Force Photo by Maj. Wayne Capps via Gatestone InstituteBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,115, March 18, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: If Nicolás Maduro is removed from office in Venezuela, Putin might act as he did when a popular revolution overthrew Yanukovych in Ukraine...
The End of “Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok”
European and Russian flags, image via PixabayBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,106, March 8, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The geopolitical divorce of Russia and Europe is not confined to the military or economic realms. Over the past several years, the differences have been ideological as well. A good example is the death of a once major political...
Russia’s Perpetual Quest for Military Modernization
Russian military honor guard, DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley via photostream of Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Flickr CCBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,097, February 26, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: One of the cyclical patterns of Russian history is the country’s perpetual quest for military...
Russia After the Ukraine Crisis: European, Asian, or Eurasian?
Winter in Siberia, photo via PixabayBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,061, January 11, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As competition grows more intense between the US and China, Moscow must assess which side will do more to help it solve its problems across the former Soviet space. Moscow’s choice will affect Russia’s identification as...
The US Withdrawal from Syria: A Blessing in Disguise?
A US 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster observes a jettisoned load of supplies in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Nov. 14, 2018, DOD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordan CastelanBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,050, December 30, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: However misconceived, President Trump’s decision to withdraw US...
Can Hamas Disrupt Commercial Flights to Israel?
Aerial view of Ben-Gurion Airport, photo via WikipediaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,040, December 19, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Hamas has repeatedly threatened to disrupt commercial flights to Israel, a threat intended to deter Israel whenever a violent round of hostilities erupts. This threat hearkens back to the flight ban that was imposed...
The Geopolitics of Ukraine’s Newly Independent Church
St Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine, photo by Petar Milošević via WikipediaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,033, December 11, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is experiencing troubles in Ukraine. Areas once considered to be the uncontested territory of the Russian Patriarchate are now becoming...
Is War Looming in the Baltic Sea?
Gotland, Sweden, on the Baltic Sea, photo by Erik Anestad via Flickr CCBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,027, December 4, 2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Russia and Sweden have fought 12 wars over the course of their histories. In recent years, relations have grown tense once again between the expansionist superpower and the peaceable Scandinavian...
