Section: Research Organizations & Think Tanks about Ukraine
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...
Letter: Experts Worry that “Decommunization” Laws Curtail Free Speech
Editor’s note:It’s unfortunate that in a time of critical issues that legislation that disenfranchises so many looks like it’s going to become law.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is expected to sign four laws on “decommunization,” recently passed by Ukraine’s parliament, which enact an official version of...
Ukraine’s Ineffectual Information Ministry: Underfunded or Misconceived?
Informational warfare has been a critical part of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. As Russian military reporter and veteran of the Russia’s two wars in Chechnya, Arkadiy Babchenko, argues, “I believe this [the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war] is the first war in the entire history triggered solely by Goebbels-style propaganda. Had...
Politically Independent Cossacks Warned About Becoming Labeled ‘US Agents’
Mikhail Vederinkov, the presidential plenipotentiary for the North Caucasus Federal District, told a meeting of senior Cossack officials that they must clear any candidates for the position of ataman (chieftain) with him in advance or face charges that they are agents of the US Department of State (Gorodskoitelegraf.ru, April 14). Vederinkov said...
Why energy is front and center in EU-US trade talks
When negotiations between the United States and the European Union began on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in 2013, a top priority for the Europeans was inclusion of a chapter specifically covering raw materials and energy. Although a separate energy chapter is not the norm in free trade agreements (FTAs), the North...
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...
Putin’s Calculated Charm Offensive
As Russia’s economy reels from sanctions following its annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine, Moscow is doing its best to undermine European Union solidarity against Russian aggression. The President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has claimed that “Cyprus is the most trustworthy voice for Russia within the EU.” But in fact...
The Disintegration Of The World
Image credit: pedrosek, ShutterstockOther Mediaquoting Michael McFaulvia The Atlantic“Was ExxonMobil worried about a skirmish in Georgia? I doubt it, but now companies like that one care a lot about the details of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The conflict in Donetsk is being closely watched day by day by multinational corporations and is...
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...
From Putin, a New Tune on Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin’s annual call-in show is not where I usually look for important statements of Russian policy. Most of the four-hour event is devoted to semi-comical political pandering (Mr. Putin presenting himself as the friend of struggling dairy farmers, for example). Still, last week’s extravaganza contained unmistakable hints of a...
