Russia | Hope is Not a Foreign Policy

Posts Tagged ‘Russia’

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 6:07pm

“Russia Goes Ballistic”

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, Russia, U.S. Nuclear Policy

Bradley Thayer and I co-authored an article in the September/October issue of the The National Interest entitled, “Russia Goes Ballistic.” Here’s a brief excerpt:

OVER THE next ten to twenty years, the erosion of American nuclear superiority will have major ramifications for the global balance of power. It will place new constraints on our freedom of action and lead our friends and foes alike to doubt the credibility of all instruments of U.S. power. As a result, decades-old alliance structures may fracture amid a drift toward multipolarity. Leadership from Tokyo to Riyadh to Seoul may find new incentives to develop their own deterrents as the relative power of states like Russia and China increases. With our extended-deterrent power lost,…

No Comments Tags: Alliance Systems, Balance of Power, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, U.S. Nuclear Policy

Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 2:37pm

Georgia Severs Diplomatic Ties with Moscow

Posted by Tom Skypek in Russia

Yesterday, the government in Tbilisi announced that it cut diplomatic ties with Russia to protest the continued presence of Russian troops in Georgian territory. The situation in Eurasia is not improving. Russia’s decision to recognize the “independence” of South Ossetia and Abkhazia was particularly problematic since these two regions are part of Georgia.

This week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev escalated his rhetoric. Commenting on U.S. plans to install missile interceptors and command and control nodes in Poland and the Czech Republic, Medvedev threatened to use military force: “This will create additional tension and we will have to respond to it in some way, naturally using military means.” Medvedev’s comments…

1 Comment Tags: Dmitry Medvedev, Georgia, Missile Defense, Russia

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 3:42pm

Russia Seeks Counterbalance to West from SCO

Posted by Matt Schwieger in American Foreign Policy, China, Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appealed to China and other Central Asian nations to show its support for Russia’s actions in Georgia at a Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tajikistan today. International press offered conflicting analysis, which of course, is no surprise. What is striking, however, is that the break was not along traditional media fault lines. The following is a snapshot of a few of the headlines…

(CNN) — Russia’s hopes of winning international support for its actions in Georgia were dashed Thursday, when China and other Asian nations expressed concern about mounting tensions in the region.

AP: Asian alliance snubs Russian plea for support

AFP: Medvedev hails support from China, Central…

1 Comment Tags: Dmitry Medvedev, Russia, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Tajikistan

Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 2:20pm

Russia as a Strategic Partner?

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, China, Russia, The American Presidency

The other day Thomas P.M. Barnett asked whether or not Russia could eventually be a strategic partner for United States. He argued that Washington’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Georgia has been overly emotional:

Frankly, putting the political and strategic implications aside for a minute, Russia’s intervention in Georgia should strike us as more of a turn-on than turn-off. In the past, I’ve tended to write Russia off as a strategic partner not because the incentives weren’t there but because the military and governmental capabilities had seemingly atrophied to such a profound degree. Georgia can be seen as disproving that perception.

I mean, if you want strategic allies who can go places and do stuff in…

2 Comments Tags: China, Georgia Train and Equip (GTEP), Russia, Thomas P.M. Barnett

Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 5:08am

Robert Kagan and The Return of History

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, China, Russia

After the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, some defense analysts and international relations scholars believed that a new, peaceful era would emerge. One scholar, Francis Fukuyama, built his career on this idealistic hypothesis (which he now backed away from). He wrote a an article in 1989 entitled “The End of History?” which concluded that liberal democracy had triumphed over authoritarian forms of government. In an article yesterday, Robert Kagan examined the growing power of the authoritarian regimes of Moscow and Beijing and the “return of history”:

One wonders whether Russia’s invasion of Georgia will finally end the dreamy complacency that took hold of the world’s democracies after the close of the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet…

No Comments Tags: China, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, Russia

Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at 4:29pm

The Politico-Military Objectives of the Georgian and Russian Leadership

Posted by Reggie Gibbs in Iran, Russia, Terrorism

I wrote to some of you yesterday about what I thought the objectives were for both sides of this conflict. I still think these hold pretty much true. Just to rehash:

Russia: Toss the Georgians out of South Ossetia, and embarrass them enough so that they (the Russians) maintain de facto control over South Ossetia, while leveraging their position in Abkhazia and throughout the southern Caucasus region in general

Georgia: Bloody the Russians bad enough, or make the case that they (the Russians) have committed a.) multiple human rights violations and/or war crimes and b.) overreached in their operations, that the international community will get involved and apply pressure to put a truly international and neutral peacekeeping force in South Ossetia. If…

2 Comments Tags: Georgia, Russia, Russia Today, South Ossetia

Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at 2:52pm

Russia v Georgia

Posted by Bryan Armor in Russia

First, a few updates.

While it is unclear yet whether there have been any major engagements between Russian and Georgia forces, some sources are reporting that the Russian armored units that crossed into South Ossetia via the Roki Tunnel yesterday are moving into Tskhinvali:

Osinform in Russian 1248 GMT 09 Aug 08
A tank attack on Tskhinvali is under way at the moment. Two Georgian tanks have been knocked out in Gafeza Street, and another tank has been knocked out in Dzhioyev Avenue, Osinform news agency reports. Russian tanks are moving toward Tskhinvali.

These forward units, likely from the 19th Motor Rifle Division out of Vladikavkaz, are being reinforced by Russian airborne elements, among them the 76th Pskov Airborne Division:

Various sources reported Russian troop…

No Comments Tags: Russia, South Ossetia

Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at 5:38am

Military Conflict Continues Between Russia and Georgia

Posted by Tom Skypek in Russia

Defense analysts who once believed that Dmitry Medvedev’s Kremlin would differ from Vladimir Putin’s now have their answer. Russia needs to withdraw its forces from Georgia immediately. Here’s an article from Bloomberg News:

Russia Is Waging `Full-Scale War’ Over S. Ossetia, Georgia Says
By Alex Nicholson

Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) — Georgia accused Russia of waging “full-scale war,” as Russian troops took control of the capital of the separatist South Ossetia region, rejecting calls by the international community for an immediate cease-fire.

“Georgia is under military aggression of the Russian federation,” Georgian Security Council secretary Kakha Lomaia told reporters in a conference call today.

Ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet moved toward Abkhazia, another separatist region, and Russian…

No Comments Tags: Dmitry Medvedev, Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia, Vladimir Putin