Photo Credit: 112 Ukraine By: Emily Kangas, Columnist On October 27, 2016, Russian missile design company Makayev Rocket Design Bureau published the first declassified image of Russia’s new RS-28 Sarmat rocket.[i] Monikered “Satan 2” by NATO, the unveiling of the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) sparked considerable attention from Western media outlets, many of which … Continue reading The Devil is in the Details: Assessing the Threat of Russia’s “Satan 2” ICBM
Category: Russia
Russia’s Disinformation War
Photo Credit: Mashable.com By: Shannon Mizzi, Columnist Russian public opinion of the United States has steadily declined in recent years.[i] This has closely paralleled the Russian government’s ramping up of anti-Western, and particularly anti-American, propaganda at home and abroad since its annexation of Crimea. In fact, a dislike of the United States is increasingly a … Continue reading Russia’s Disinformation War
China and Russia’s Angry Response to THAAD: Why and What It Means for the United States
Photo Credit: Alwaght.com By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist On July 7th, 2016, the United States and South Korea announced their decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system on the peninsula in response to North Korea’s continued nuclear tests and development of ballistic missile technology. The next day, China and Russia … Continue reading China and Russia’s Angry Response to THAAD: Why and What It Means for the United States
Death of Uzbek President Signals Strategic Opportunity for Russia
Photo Credit: Daily Sabah By: Emily Kangas, Columnist On September 2, 2016, just one day after the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov passed away from a stroke.[i] Confronted with its first leadership change since 1989, when Karimov became president of what was then the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbekistan now faces … Continue reading Death of Uzbek President Signals Strategic Opportunity for Russia
The Russian Bear Goes Polar: Putin’s Territorial Claims in the Arctic
Photo Credit: Getty Images By Ian Churchill, Columnist On February 9, 2016, the Russian government presented its Arctic territorial claim to a United Nations scientific panel that, if approved, could expand Russia’s domain by over 465,000 square miles.[i] Already by far the largest Arctic power by landmass, Russia’s proposed expansion of its Exclusive Economic Zone … Continue reading The Russian Bear Goes Polar: Putin’s Territorial Claims in the Arctic
A New Phase in Russia-Iran Relations
By: Ian K, Columnist Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons 2015 has proven to be a seminal year for Russia-Iran relations. Although both governments have long recognized strategic value in collaborating with each other, significant inhibiting factors have kept bilateral relations mostly limited to rhetoric and low-impact confidence building measures[i]—until now. The shifting geopolitical environment has provided … Continue reading A New Phase in Russia-Iran Relations
U.S.-Russian Relations with Ambassador Linton Brooks
By: Olga Novitsky, Reporter Photo: Vladimir Putin, Wikimedia Commons The first Center for Security Studies (CSS) Lunch Series event of the Fall 2015 semester was held on Thursday, September 3 with guest speaker Ambassador Linton Brooks. At the event named “US-Russia Relations In a Time of Confrontation,” Ambassador Brooks discussed challenges to strategic stability and … Continue reading U.S.-Russian Relations with Ambassador Linton Brooks
Cyber Warfare: Chinese and Russian Lessons For US Cyber Doctrine
Photo: Personnel at the USAF component of Cyber Command By Sebastian J. Bae, Columnist Cyber warfare invokes images of rogue hackers stealing information or computer viruses crippling nations. Unsurprisingly, US cyber doctrine emphasizes network security and the weaponization of software. Yet, the victors in cyberspace will not be the states with the best technology, but those … Continue reading Cyber Warfare: Chinese and Russian Lessons For US Cyber Doctrine
To counter Russia, understand its motivations
Photo by Pete Souza/Wikimedia Commons By Jelena Petrovic & Timothy Stafford | The ongoing Crimea crisis has provoked a wave of analysis and calls for action. Within days, the focal point of the international community’s attention has shifted from the Ukrainian revolution to Russia’s ‘act of aggression.’ Politicians and analysts alike are now calling for actions … Continue reading To counter Russia, understand its motivations
Has Russia Begun Offensive Cyberspace Operations in Crimea?
Graphic from Google Earth By Jason Rivera | On Saturday March 1st, the Russian Parliament approved the use of armed forces in the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine,[1] marking the first possible major Russian military operation since the 2008 invasion of Georgia. In the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, Russia demonstrated the capacity to conduct joint kinetic and … Continue reading Has Russia Begun Offensive Cyberspace Operations in Crimea?