Riverine Command Boats (RCB) 802 and 805 participate in a bi-lateral exercise with Kuwait naval forces in the Arabian Gulf. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Torrey W. Lee. Iran's ongoing attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and its escalatory strike on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in Abqaiq have jolted … Continue reading The Lack of a US Response to Iran’s Brazen Actions may be its Most Escalatory Move Yet
Category: Regions
Taiwan’s Allies Dropping Like Flies
Taiwan President Tsai Yingwen shakes hands with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons. Taiwan faced two consecutive diplomatic blows in the past month when the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, two Pacific island nations, broke diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing. Kiribati was the seventh diplomatic ally to cut ties … Continue reading Taiwan’s Allies Dropping Like Flies
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
After Bolton: A Dual Track Approach to Venezuelan Foreign Policy
US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo joins President Donald J. Trump for a working lunch on February 27, 2019. Photo Source: Ron Przysucha/ US State Department. On September 10, President Trump relieved National Security Advisor John Bolton of his post within the administration.[i] Bolton had been appointed in March of last year[ii] and was … Continue reading After Bolton: A Dual Track Approach to Venezuelan Foreign Policy
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?
Chinese Military Diplomacy: The PLA’s Role in Beijing’s Global Outlook
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with a PLA soldier at Vostok 2018. Photo Credit: Kremlin. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) seeks to defend the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and enforce Beijing’s territorial claims and sovereignty to advance the country’s national interests. The PLA’s focus on these mandates primarily revolves around its warfighting activities, but China … Continue reading Chinese Military Diplomacy: The PLA’s Role in Beijing’s Global Outlook
Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region
DRC soldiers on patrol. Photo Credit: Reuters. The African Great Lakes region requires a more comprehensive regional security framework and strategy to manage the threat of transnational militias. The Great Lakes region in Africa comprises the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. There are numerous transnational militias operating … Continue reading Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region
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