MenuThe Atlantic Council September 8, 2015 By Ariel Cohen Russia’s military involvement in Syria and Ukraine obligates the United States and its European allies to bring the Kremlin back to Earth and recognize that such adventures cannot be sustained indefinitely. Russia simply does not have the money and human resources to do so in view
Category Archives: Articles & Blogs
Why Russia keeps pumping crude even as oil prices plummet
The Christian Science Monitor September 8, 2015 By Cristina Maza, Staff writer Russia – despite serious economic headwinds, and Western energy sanctions – is scrambling make sure it retains its status as a global leader in oil and gas. The persistent collapse of oil prices has been chalked up to a game of chicken between
Expert tells ‘Post’: Moscow “has definitely raised the quality of equipment it is sending” to Syria.
The Jerusalem Post September 7, 2015 By Ariel Ben Solomon Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria has sparked concern in Western capitals as Vladimir Putin again appears to be shrewdly calculating that the West will not significantly counter his moves. The Russian president’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region last year was not strongly resisted by
A More-Interesting-Than-Usual Panel on the Iran Deal
The Atlantic September 5, 2015 By James Fallows It’s Saturday night of Labor Day weekend. If you’re anything like me, rather than having some barbecue and a beer, or watching baseball, or watching tennis, or watching football (etc), or reading a book, you’re probably wondering: “How could I learn a little bit more about the
Iran Nuclear Agreement – C-SPAN
http://www.c-span.org/video/?327950-1/discussion-iran-nuclear-deal C-SPAN September 4, 2015 Panelists talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the Iran nuclear agreement. As Congress prepares for a crucial vote on the Iran deal in September, our panel of distinguished experts looked beyond partisan lines to present a wide range of views on the national-security stakes involved for the United States, Israel,
No more Montenegrin pork? Russia adds 4 countries to list of import bans.
The Christian Science Monitor August 13, 2015 By Cristina Maza, Staff writer The ban includes meat, fish, dairy products, fruit, and vegetables. While some analysts have suggested that the economic consequences could be dire, others have scoffed that it’s purely political. Russia has added Albania, Montenegro, Liechtenstein and Iceland to a list of countries from
Moscow’s Veto of MH17 Tribunal: A Blunder of Potentially Huge Proportions
On July 29, Russia vetoed a draft UN resolution seeking to set up a tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines jumbo jet more than a year ago.
By exercising its Security Council veto against the resolution, Moscow has lost control of the process, committing a possible error that may ultimately lead to convictions of rebel leaders and Russian officials—and a new round of sanctions against the Kremlin. This appears to be a massive strategic misstep, which the West may exploit.
Earth to Russia. Come Back to Reality
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Vice Speaker of the Duma and leader of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, has announced that in 2016, Russian flags will fly over Kyiv, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius. Zhirinovsky is known to fly trial balloons on the Kremlin’s behalf. One cannot tell whether this is information warfare, a mere bluff to unsettle NATO, or a real signal. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
How Russia Could Become a Food Superpower
Russia could be a food superpower, given its vast soil and water resources. It still may become one, but the question is whether the food will be Western or Chinese.
CHINA’S “ONE BELT – ONE ROAD” MEGA-PROJECT WILL BOOST EURASIAN NATURAL GAS OPPORTUNITIES
Natural Gas Europe
June 29th, 2015
By Ariel Cohen
The efforts of China to ensure its economic development and preeminence include the creation of the “New Silk Road” – the enormous system of infrastructure mega-projects to stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic. If completed, it will be the largest infrastructure undertaking ever built. Natural gas features prominently in the plan.