NATO foreign ministers pose for a photo at a 2019 summit. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist In the past few years NATO has faced numerous challenges to its internal cohesion and its contemporary relevance has been repeatedly questioned. At the crux of these contentions is a ‘requirement’ that NATO countries spend a minimum … Continue reading Looking Past Percentages: Finding an Alternative to the 2% Threshold
Author: Christine Bang-Andersen
The Competition Heats Up: Climate Change and the Erosion of U.S. Military Power
A fire burns several miles behind Space Launch Complex-3, housing the Atlas V rocket & WorldView 4 satellite, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Photo Credit: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP. By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist The costs and risks associated with climate change have long been exacerbated by its denial, but the … Continue reading The Competition Heats Up: Climate Change and the Erosion of U.S. Military Power
How to Keep China Out of Greenland? Start by Asking the Greenlandic People
Members of the Chinese scientific expedition team pose for photos onboard China's icebreaker Snow Dragon, July 31, 2017, during the country's first circumnavigation of the Arctic rim. Photo Credit: Yu Qiongyuan/Zuma Press By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist Trying its best to finally cut its colonial ties and gain independence from Denmark, Greenland has begun exploring alternatives for economic … Continue reading How to Keep China Out of Greenland? Start by Asking the Greenlandic People
Radicalization in Central Asia: A Thorny and Enduring Problem
A traveler on the M41 road (also called Pamir highway), crossing the Pamir plateau in Tajikistan. Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist The truck attacks in Stockholm and New York in 2017 and the attack on Western tourists on a bike trip across Tajikistan this summer all served as stark reminders of ongoing … Continue reading Radicalization in Central Asia: A Thorny and Enduring Problem
Glory to Ukraine? The De-glorified Truth of Ukrainian Nationalist Policy
Ukrainian nationalists at a rally in Kiev in 2017. Photo Credit: Sergey Dolzhenko/European Pressphoto Agency By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist The 2014 Revolution of Dignity, Russia’s consequent annexation of Crimea, and the revolt in Donbas marked a turning point for Ukraine. They undermined the country’s internal cohesion and put renewed focus on its role in … Continue reading Glory to Ukraine? The De-glorified Truth of Ukrainian Nationalist Policy
Putin the Troll – Making Abe An Offer He Can Only Refuse
By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist Photo Credit: Getty Images In yet another act of political provocation, this time towards Japan, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an offer that could only be refused during a September 12 speech at the Eastern Economic Forum alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Russian president raised eyebrows when speaking about … Continue reading Putin the Troll – Making Abe An Offer He Can Only Refuse