Section: Brookings (USA)
We must keep working for a world without nuclear weapons (yes, it’s possible)
At the Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference later this month at the United Nations, the five nuclear weapon states recognized by the Treaty—the United States, Russia, Britain, France, and China—will come in for critical scrutiny from an international community that regards current approaches to nuclear arms as inadequate. Just take...
Can the EU turn Gazprom into Google?
Policies on trade and competition have become a new field of international conflict and the European Commission (EC) has shown its willingness to use them as a weapon. Yesterday, the EC sent a Statement of Objections to Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom for its alleged abuse of market power in Central and Eastern European gas markets. It is...
Strengthening nuclear stability in turbulent times
The Ukraine crisis and broader deterioration in relations between Russia and the West has created a heightened danger of unintended clashes between Russian and NATO military forces, and continues to deflate hopes for near-term progress on nuclear arms control. At the same time, arms control efforts could serve as a critical means of preventing...
The Renzi-Obama summit
Last Friday’s summit between Italy and the United States was an occasion for American President Barack Obama and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to discuss issues of mutual concerns, particularly Russia and Libya, and consolidate the personal bond they laid the ground for during their first meeting in Rome last year. The United States...
Russia needs a Middle East crisis: Will delivering S-300s to Iran help?
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision on lifting the ban on delivering to Iran the S-300 surface-to-air missiles took many experts by surprise, but U.S. President Barack Obama noted with perfect indifference that for him the only surprise was “that it held this long.” In fact, Putin’s timing was impeccable, since nobody could...
The West, multipolarity, and the liberal order
The liberal order—the system designed to ensure international security that has as its pillars the United Nations, multilateral security treaties, NATO, and European integration—is strongly dependent on Western and in particular U.S. power. With new, non-Western powers rising or resurgent, and the West (especially Europe) in apparent decline, it...
The Russian economy in 2050: Heading for labor-based stagnation
Since the beginning of the 1990s, Russia has been suffering from a negative demographic trend. Despite active immigration—more than 9 million people arrived in Russia between 1990 and 2014—the population declined by 3.7 million (Chart 1). [1] Though many developed countries face a similar challenge, there are a number of specific behind the trend...
Apocalypse a bit later: The meaning of Putin’s nuclear threats
The words that Russian President Vladimir Putin chose for describing the nuclear angle of the special operation for seizing and annexing Crimea in March 2014, might appear so odd that it is well-nigh impossible to make sense of them. “Yes, we were ready,” he said to the question about whether the option of putting strategic forces on high alert...
Of oligarchs and corruption: Ukraine faces its own demons
While combat continues in Eastern Ukraine, a perhaps more important battle for the soul of Ukraine is playing out in the political corridors and the corporate boardrooms of Kyiv. Since independence, Ukraine has struggled continuously to break the iron triangle of oligarchic rule, corruption, and financial instability that has left Ukraine mired...
A nation on the brink: Ukraine faces its own demons
While combat continues in Eastern Ukraine, a perhaps more important battle for the soul of Ukraine is playing out in the political corridors and the corporate boardrooms of Kyiv. Since independence, Ukraine has struggled continuously to break the iron triangle of oligarchic rule, corruption, and financial instability that has left Ukraine mired...
