Photo released by the Ukrainian Security Service allegedly depicting Wagner Group mercenaries at an unknown location. Photo Credit: VOA News Volodymyr Zelensky sits in a chair next to the podium as he conducts a press conference, wearing the olive-green military clothing that has now come to symbolize his defiant resolve to fight against the Russian … Continue reading Putin’s Hitmen: How Mercenaries Serve the Kremlin at the Expense of Stability
Category: Europe & Central Asia
Democracy, Race, and Ukraine
Nigerian students in Ukraine wait at the platform at the Lviv railway station on Sunday. (Bernat Armangue/AP) The Russian violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty has brought the former Eastern Bloc country to the forefront of news cycles. Democratic countries standing up to the autocratic ruler of Vladimir Putin have also been a focus of the crisis. … Continue reading Democracy, Race, and Ukraine
How Will the Russia-Ukraine War Affect the Stability of Egypt?
On February 24th, Vladimir Putin initiated a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. Despite diplomatic attempts to prevent escalation, the Russian president moved to enforce his military grip on the former Soviet republic. While much has already been said about the potential consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian War on NATO, on other Eastern European republics, and on … Continue reading How Will the Russia-Ukraine War Affect the Stability of Egypt?
Why Putin Pulled the Trigger
Photo Credit: Screengrab from YouTube. On February 24 at around 5:00 AM local time, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. This should be unsurprising given the widespread media and government coverage over the preceding months. However, the West is now scrambling for explanations, often resorting to calling Putin an irrational tyrant. Perhaps he is tyrannical, but he … Continue reading Why Putin Pulled the Trigger
Shaping a Generation of Ukrainian Children
Photo Credit: Daily Mail Ukrainian people feared every day Russia could invade, and that fear unfortunately became reality. Media coverage primarily discusses military action and geopolitical consequences, sidelining other groups. The impact of Russian aggression on civilians, especially children, should be a larger part of the discussion on security. The human impact in this conflict … Continue reading Shaping a Generation of Ukrainian Children
We Are All Realists Now
Photo Credit: Dan Rivers For weeks leading up to the invasion and even in the hours afterward, the crisis in Ukraine was flattened into an academic debate, abstracted into a case to be studied. The most politically scientific and least affected among us have been offered the luxury of musing about tangential questions:What might the … Continue reading We Are All Realists Now
Mounting a Defense on the Southern Theater: An Analysis of Russian Propaganda Aimed at US-Mexico Relations
Russia reportedly spent $16 million on propaganda targeting the United States in 2021 to create friction between the United States and its partners in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. For instance, Russia Today en Español published an article characterizing the United States’ foreign policy toward Mexico as being “absen[t] of support” for Mexico’s alternative strategies … Continue reading Mounting a Defense on the Southern Theater: An Analysis of Russian Propaganda Aimed at US-Mexico Relations
Turkey at the Crossroads: Shaping Strategic Balance in an Era of Complex Interdependence
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gives a speech on economic policy amid the rapid depreciation of the Turkish lira. Photo Credit: Anadolu Ajansi Turkey is always at a crossroads. Today so is the world. The consequences of Turkey’s response to current crises leading up to national elections due to occur by June 2023 will determine … Continue reading Turkey at the Crossroads: Shaping Strategic Balance in an Era of Complex Interdependence
Transcending Rhetoric: The Wisdom of European “Strategic Autonomy”
“Now we are opening a new era where we have to put ourselves in a situation to clearly prepare, endorse our European defense. But I want to insist on the fact that we need the strong cooperation of the US.” — French President Emmanuel Macron[i] At the latest G-20 Summit, American President Biden and French … Continue reading Transcending Rhetoric: The Wisdom of European “Strategic Autonomy”
Thunder over the Falklands: Asian Arms in Latin America
Pakistan Air Force JF-17’s armed with air to air and air to ground munitions. Photo Credit: Pakistan Air Force Last month, local Argentine newspapers leaked news that the Argentinian government intended to purchase 12 Pakistan-Chinese manufactured JF-17[i] Block III ‘Thunder’ fighter aircraft and supporting equipment. This is not new. Argentina’s plan to purchase Chinese fighters … Continue reading Thunder over the Falklands: Asian Arms in Latin America