Russia
NSN Special Update: Chechnya, Dagestan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: A Primer
April 19, 2013
It is being widely reported the two main suspects in the Boston bombings are the Tsarnaev brothers – one of whom has been killed in an altercation with police officers. The brothers are allegedly of Chechen descent with roots to the Russian Republic of Dagestan and the former Soviet Republics of either Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. [...]
2012: A Turning Point
November 1, 2012
This election year marks an important moment in the American political story. For decades, progressives have suffered from the “security gap,” where conservatives were viewed as stronger on foreign policy while progressives were stronger at home. But public opinion and elite commentary both confirm that the gap is gone. As Slate national security columnist Fred [...]
Before the Debate, What You Need To Know about Progressive Foreign Policy
October 18, 2012
On Monday President Obama and Governor Romney will hold their final debate of this campaign season, and the only one dedicated to national security and foreign policy. National security issues and the so-called commander-in-chief test have served voters as a surrogate for broader questions about leadership and vision, even in an election year dominated by [...]
The United States and Russia
June 19, 2012
Yesterday, Presidents Obama and Putin met on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Mexico. Their personal relationship has been described as “tense,” but the Obama administration’s Russia policy has been defined by pragmatism, and built upon mutual interests. This has resulted in a number of significant security benefits for America. By contrast, the world [...]
French Elections, European Politics, American Leadership
May 7, 2012
European publics spoke angrily, if not clearly, this weekend: evicting incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy from the French presidency, mounting large protests around Vladimir Putin’s return to the Russian presidency, defeating a Merkel ally in local German politics and splintering from mainstream parties to radical groups on the left and right in Greece. The resulting uncertainty demands [...]
Let’s Get Geopolitical
March 27, 2012
For decades conservatives dominated the national security debate in U.S. politics. That era is over. Poll after poll shows public support for President Obama’s handling of national security – and public desire for pragmatic national security policies that use all sources of national power and build our economic, diplomatic and moral as well as military [...]
After Putin’s Tears: Russia’s Elections in Context
March 6, 2012
This weekend, as forecast, Vladimir Putin won an election that will return him to the Russian presidency. Putin appears to have both won a strong majority and engaged in electoral irregularities. The Obama administration joined observers in calling for investigation – even as Mitt Romney accused it of failing to do exactly that. Rhetoric aside, [...]
After Russia’s Elections
December 8, 2011
U.S.-Russia relations have reached a tight spot on several central issues: discord over plans for European missile defense, disappointment with Russia’s flawed elections, disagreement on how to end the regime crackdown in Syria and pressure Iran on its nuclear program. Led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the administration has taken strong stances on the elections and missile defense, while continuing partnership in other vital areas, including U.S. overflight rights to Afghanistan and New START treaty implementation. The ability to “walk and chew gum at the same time” – to stand strong on issues of principle, maintain communication and make pragmatic progress elsewhere – shows the success of the “reset” policy. In fact, the reset’s critics are now getting what they said they wanted on missile defense and human rights – while in Afghanistan our military gets what it needs.
Good Cop, Bad Cop, Consistent US Interests
September 26, 2011
This weekend Russian Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin announced that he will once again seek the presidency, essentially guaranteeing him the position. He pledged, once president, to appoint the current president Dmitri Medvedev as prime minister. This is disappointing for Russian democracy but not unexpected, and should not necessarily entail a downturn in U.S.-Russian relations.
Liberal Apathy, the National Security Story
August 3, 2010
By Heather Hurlburt, The New Republic, August 3rd 2010
