Deal or No Deal: US Peace Talks with the Taliban

General Joseph Dunford during a recent visit to Afghanistan. Photo Source: DoD/Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique Pineiro. Over the past few months, the United States has been negotiating with the Taliban to hammer out a peace deal that would allow the U.S. to remove its troops from Afghanistan after 18 years of conflict. The U.S. … Continue reading Deal or No Deal: US Peace Talks with the Taliban

Peace in Ukraine, But at What Cost?

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, greets Ukrainian prisoner upon his arrival home. Photo Source: Efrem Lukatsky/AP. On September 7, 2019, 70 prisoners were successfully exchanged between Russia and Ukraine. The transfer has been welcomed by members of the international community as a sign of positive momentum toward a peaceful solution that could end the conflict … Continue reading Peace in Ukraine, But at What Cost?

Prospects for Russo-Turkish Cooperation: Doomed with Time?

US, Turkish, Russian Defense Chiefs Meet in Antalya, Turkey. Photo Credit: Department of Defense. By: James Millar, Columnist Threats of economic sanctions, cancellation of a long-term F-35 partnership, and increasingly hostile rhetoric currently buffet Ankara. Partially to blame are President Erdogan’s recent $2.5 billion-dollar hardware and training package of S-400 anti-aircraft weapons systems and NATO … Continue reading Prospects for Russo-Turkish Cooperation: Doomed with Time?

In Historic Trilateral Summit, the U.S., Russia, and Israel Focus on Mutual Interests

Official photograph of US, Russian, and Israeli officials. Photo Credit: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90. National Security Advisor John Bolton met with his Russian and Israeli counterparts, Nikolai Patrushev and Meir Ben-Shabbat, on June 24, 2019. An Israeli defense source on Al-Monitor described the historic trilateral summit as “a crazy event…fifty-two years after Jerusalem’s liberation, we are bringing … Continue reading In Historic Trilateral Summit, the U.S., Russia, and Israel Focus on Mutual Interests

The Russian Edge in Electronic Warfare

A Russian serviceman prepares to launch a drone during a military exercise. Photo Credit: RIA Novosti. By: Madison Creery, Columnist The U.S. has spent nearly two decades dedicated to counterterrorism operations where it enjoyed significant qualitative and quantitative advantages over adversaries. In these conflicts, the U.S. was able to quickly gain local air, sea, and … Continue reading The Russian Edge in Electronic Warfare

Does Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Exit Mean Change for Kazakhstan?

Nursultan Nazarbayev. Photo Credit: kazinform. By: Kristina Drye, Columnist On March 19, 2019 the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, announced that he would be resigning his position immediately. The unexpected move has cast doubt on Kazakhstan’s future. After serving as the country’s president for the past 30 years, there is hope that Nazarbayev’s resignation will … Continue reading Does Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Exit Mean Change for Kazakhstan?

Protecting the Polls from Russian Trolls: Why America Must Hack Back

Voters at the Topeka Civic Theater in Kansas last year during the midterm elections. The United States Cyber Command took a Russian troll farm off line on Election Day to block any potential interference. Photo Credit: Barrett Emke for The New York Times By Stan Sundel, Associate Editor for Terrorism and Counterterrorism Earlier this year, the Washington … Continue reading Protecting the Polls from Russian Trolls: Why America Must Hack Back

Beijing-Moscow Relations Will Cool As the Arctic Heats Up

President Putin and President Xi. Photo Credit: AP By: Ezra Shapiro, Columnist In recent years, Russia and China’s growing collaboration on energy and shipping projects in the Arctic has caused some consternation among U.S policymakers. Despite the countries’ current cooperation, Moscow and Beijing’s long-term ambitions are fundamentally at odds with each other. Russia places a … Continue reading Beijing-Moscow Relations Will Cool As the Arctic Heats Up

Sanctions On Russia Are Working And Must Be Preserved

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a speech in Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2018 Photo Credit: AP By: Simon Machalek, Columnist Although both the EU and the US remain committed to upholding sanctions on Russia, there are voices—especially among Eurosceptics—who suggest that sanctions on Russia are not working and that they should be lifted.[i] Proponents … Continue reading Sanctions On Russia Are Working And Must Be Preserved

Looking Past Percentages: Finding an Alternative to the 2% Threshold

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