Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
Prigozhin’s Mutiny Took Russian Propaganda by Surprise
While the military uprising carried out by the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, lasted only a day, it caused enormous damage to the reputation of the Vladimir Putin regime. It turned out that the Kremlin, by its own actions, created an enormous threat... MORE
Mutiny Undercuts Russian Intrigues in the Global South
The weekend mutiny of the Wagner Group, pathetic as it may look in hindsight, is certain to affect Russia’s ability to sustain its aggression against Ukraine and to repel the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive. But it will also resonate in a much wider sense. One of... MORE
Mapping Everything, Everywhere at Once: Examining New Advances in PLA Battlefield Reconnaissance Capabilities
Introduction Over the past decade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has greatly improved its surveying and mapping (测绘) capabilities. This initiative has come at the behest of China’s Party-state leadership, which views access to high-quality topographical data as instrumental to “fighting and winning local wars... MORE
PLA Airborne Capabilities and Paratrooper Doctrine for Taiwan
Introduction In the event of a Taiwan contingency, PLA airborne troops are likely to assume a substantial role. Decapitation strike scenarios and the prospects of an airborne invasion are widely discussed by analysts, scholars, and policy practitioners in both the US and Taiwan. Despite PLA... MORE
Commentary—Can Export Controls Win a New Cold War: A Historical Case Study
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Export controls played a critical role in helping the West to prevail over the Soviet Union and its allies in the Cold War. The United States now faces a new national security challenge in the People’s Republic of China. After World War II,... MORE
New Trilateral Cooperation for Iran, Armenia and India in the South Caucasus: From ‘Soft Balancing’ to Regional Transit Balance
In April 2023, the first trilateral political consultation between the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, India and Armenia was held in Yerevan (Shargh Daily, April 21). The three countries focused primarily on “economic issues and regional communication channels,” and “the sides agreed to continue consultations... MORE
Latvia and Estonia Agree to Joint Acquisition of IRIS-T Air Defense Systems
Latvia, together with Estonia, is undertaking the largest military procurement project since the restoration of independence in acquiring the IRIS-T air defense system from Germany. In late May 2023, these plans were made public by Latvian Minister of Defense Ināra Mūrniece and Estonian Minister of... MORE
Dirty Business: The Russian-Iranian Strategic Partnership Intensifies
In May 2023, United States National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced that Russia is looking to purchase additional Iranian drones and loitering munitions. Kyiv believes that Moscow already received around 2,400 units from its “brother in arms” and has already used over 400 of... MORE
Moscow’s Plans for Russian Fleet Unlikely to Be Realized Anytime Soon
The Russian Navy has played second fiddle to the Russian army in Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Indeed, it has suffered embarrassing losses including the Moskva flagship of its Black Sea Fleet and the drone attacks on that fleet’s home base at Sevastopol (see EDM,... MORE
Russia Stays on the Course of Economic Delusion and Military Attrition
The summer economic forum in St. Petersburg used to be a vanity fair of Russian opulence and corruption. But last week's modest, if not frugal, event was rather an exercise in self-reassurance of sustainable stagnation. The international profile of the event was seriously curtailed, and... MORE