A truce is necessary even to begin understanding Russia’s brinkmanship, as Moscow has reawakened the long-dormant monster of European militarism. Germany plans to build anti-raid shelters, France is considering sending troops, and Poland has tripled its military expenditures. Even sleepy Italy is contemplating a modest rearmament program. Russian President Vladimir Putin is walking on thin […]
Russian culture and history has long embraced a hybrid self-image: a western and an eastern, orientations sometimes compatible but more often in conflict. Geographically too, it is one-third in Europe, two-thirds in Asia. In 1703 Peter the Great built St. Petersburg (named for the apostle, later for the tsar), a city on the Baltic Sea […]
The deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine alongside Russian forces has radically altered the dynamics of the war in Europe and Asia, raising the stakes and making it more challenging to find peace. However, a pathway to peace must be sought now more than ever. South Korea is reportedly considering sending soldiers to Ukraine, […]
The Ukrainian offensive in the Russian Kursk region has been underway for a week now—this is not just a sortie but has broad strategic implications. It is unclear how the situation will evolve, but it is obviously a hard blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the fallout could reach as far as Italy. After […]
The Russian president’s trip to North Korea alters global calculations, spreading instability worldwide. Even China may now be interested in distancing itself from him Shortly after establishing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1st, 1949, China entered one of its most controversial historical periods. PRC leader Mao Zedong planned to attack Taiwan, where […]
A game of reality and shadows, both true and both tricks for the eye of the beholder, was playing out in Beijing as Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart. No pomp was spared. Putin walked along red carpets that stretched across many of the 80 acres of Tiananmen Square. The central […]
A lull in political initiatives about wars could draw China closer to Russia just as the two countries’ agendas are drawing apart As Moscow was the center of President Xi Jinping’s talks in Paris, Belgrade, and Budapest, there is possibly a growing systemic fissure between Russia and China concerning the war in Ukraine – specifically, […]
