By Lyle J. Goldstein With the centenary of the sinking of the Lusitania at hand, the anniversary of this tragic event has produced a non-fiction best-seller, but little serious reflection among strategists. This is curious given that the submarine has emerged in the early 21st century as the naval weapon …
Read More »Greece: Debt, Defiance and Thucydides
Peter Harris From the National Interest Greece’s domestic turmoil is well documented, but Greek foreign policy over the past three months has been equally fraught with turbulence, frustration and failure. For despite the coming to power of Syriza—a vigorous, outwardly uncompromising and almost revolutionary party of government—the Greek state …
Read More »Iran nuclear deal closer than ever, says John Kerry
A comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran is “closer than ever” but the work is far from over with key issues unresolved, John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has told a global gathering on nuclear disarmament, where he and Iran’s foreign minister met on the sidelines. Several of the …
Read More »Why Pakistan Is Staying Out of Yemen
By Louis Ritzinger From the National Interest On March 25, a Saudi-led coalition of ten Arab states began an aerial bombing campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, who had taken control of the capital, Sana’a. The Houthis were steadily progressing to the port city of Aden, where the …
Read More »The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State
By Christoph Reuter An Iraqi officer planned Islamic State’s takeover in Syria and SPIEGEL has been given exclusive access to his papers. They portray an organization that, while seemingly driven by religious fanaticism, is actually coldly calculating. Aloof. Polite. Cajoling. Extremely attentive. Restrained. Dishonest. Inscrutable. Malicious. The rebels …
Read More »Spying Close to Home: German Intelligence Under Fire for NSA Cooperation
SPIEGEL ONLINE : US intelligence spent years spying on European targets from a secretive base. Now, it seems that German intelligence was aware of the espionage — and did nothing to stop it. It was obvious from its construction speed just how important the new site in Bavaria …
Read More »Silk Road Project May Facilitate Resolution of South China Sea Disputes
Sputnik: The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road project could resolve the longstanding South China Sea maritime disputes that have always been considered a stumbling block to multilateral collaboration in the region. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road project may facilitate the resolution of the longstanding South China Sea maritime …
Read More »Punishing Putin: EU Leaders Snub Moscow World War II Commemorations
By Christian Neef From the National Interest On May 9, Russia is holding an enormous military parade to commemorate the end of World War II 70 years ago. With tensions between Russia and the West high, most European Union leaders are staying away from the event. This week, Russia President Vladimir Putin visited the …
Read More »Countdown to War: The Coming U.S.-Russia Conflict
By John Allen From The National Interest The United States and Russia may be unwittingly stumbling down a path to deeper confrontation and even war, cautioned two prominent American national-security experts at a panel in Washington, D.C. Tuesday. Graham Allison, director of Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science …
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