Russia’s April military build-up betrays its designs on European partners in Ukraine, and demonstrates a determination to continue its asymmetric assault on Ukraine and Eastern Europe at large. The time is now or never for European policymakers to decide how to respond to Russia’s continued expansionism.
All in Russia
Russia’s latest round of youth-driven protests are as much about the Russian economy as they are about Navalny and political freedoms. Putin’s social contract with the Russian public is fraying.
Germany and Russia share a complex relationship that is constantly evolving. Traditionally, Germany has valued its transatlantic ties, calling the United States its closest ally. However, as the United States has opted out of its traditional European role, Germany has been forced to consider other alliances and the redefinition of its role in Europe.
At a time when a polarized American political environment challenges U.S. capacity to construct and follow through on durable strategies for American engagement in the world, old enemies around the globe are empowered with new tools at their disposal. Authoritarian governments have found new ways to more effectively silence critics, harass opponents, control or influence the information at home, and manipulate online content to serve their own interests.
Traditional peace negotiations tend to focus on the principal issues at hand — often conflict resolution or territorial demarcation. Instead, Kyiv and Moscow should address smaller issues first to overcome mutual distrust and establish a dialogue and atmosphere of cooperation.
Over the past decade, there have been several large cyberattacks alleged to have originated with Russia that targeted the functionality of a state. Some claim that Russia is intentionally acting as a rogue state in cyberspace and that as a rogue cyber actor, Russia’s primary goal is to cause instability in the world.
Zelenskiy’s victory came as a shock to many, but was not entirely unexpected. Although Zelenskiy’s fresh face might be a balm in domestic politics, where corruption is rampant and toxic, but will it be enough to face Russia in the East?
Conceptually, this law presupposes a case where the Runet would need to be disconnected from the rest of the global network infrastructure due to threats to its stable and safe operation on Russian territory. However, many critics claim that this bill strikes a huge blow to Internet freedom in Russia. The capabilities that the Russian government now has could usher in a new era of widespread censorship.
The Crimean Peninsula may have strategic significance for the Russian military, but Russian President Vladimir Putin can no longer play the Crimea card at home for political gain. Even though the 2014 annexation of Crimea resulted in a sharp increase in the Russian president’s approval ratings, five years on the matter has been overshadowed by widespread economic hardship.
The Kremlin often wields access to its oil and natural gas supplies as deft foreign policy tools to pressure nations into political and economic action beneficial for Russia. In the interest of U.S. national security, we should respond with new policies in response to Russian energy weaponization.
The events of late September perfectly illustrate how the Syrian Civil War has devolved into a series of proxy wars, with nations being involved in the country in a variety of ways. The recent announcement of a Turkish and Russian backed de-escalation zone in Idlib and the airstrikes by Israel against suspected Iranian pro-regime forces in Latakia, just show the variety of regional nations with interests in the country. In order to understand the impact these developments will have on the actions of these countries moving forward, it is crucial understand why such a large number of nations have become embroiled in this conflict.
With all of the talk of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, it’s easy to forget that Russia will hold its own elections just next spring. While the U.S. election excited and divided the nation for well over a year, the upcoming Russian election is leaving much to be desired across the country.
While U.S. analysts have a keen eye on activity in Ukraine and Syria, few have seriously considered the fact that Russia has slowly been expanding its presence in Latin America. Last spring a new Russian compound was erected in the jungles near Nicaragua’s capital city Managua. Nicaraguan officials claim that the compound is used to house the surveillance equipment necessary in the fight against international drug trafficking, but some U.S. analysts suspect that the Russians have ulterior motives.
President Donald Trump wants a better relationship with Russia. Seven months into the Trump administration, however, U.S. - Russian relations remain just as low now as they were under Obama. While there are several points of hostility between the two powers—NATO enlargement, Syria, cyberattacks—it’s easy to forget that the illegal annexation of the relatively unknown Crimea, was the springboard for this current era of animosity.