7 Items

Analysis & Opinions - Moscow Times

Ukraine's Economy Holds the Key to Stability

| November 12, 2014

"Economic fragility and domestic mismanagement have plagued Ukraine since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite boasting a skilled, educated work force and vital natural resources such as metals, minerals and agriculture, the country has struggled to sustain economic growth. Meanwhile, corruption and institutional inefficiency remain major problems hampering the development of the state, making it impossible for governments over the years to implement much-needed reforms.'

Report - Danish Institute for International Studies

Great Power Politics and the Ukrainian Crisis: NATO, EU and Russia after 2014

| 2014

This report assesses the relationship between Europe and Russia as the sum of great power reactions to the Ukrainian crisis and Russia's annexation of Crimea. Despite agreement on a no business-as-usual principle, important national nuances have arisen stemming from different historical bonds to eastern Europe and Russia (Germany, Poland, United States) or different interests in the region (France, United Kingdom).

Poland–Ukraine border crossing Krościenko-Smilnytsya, 20 Aug. 2011. Only the EU with its significant economic leverage can match the soft power rivalry with Russia.

Silar Photo, CC

Analysis & Opinions - GlobalPost

EU Can Be a More Effective Counter to Russia than US

| March 26, 2014

"Only the EU with its significant economic leverage can match the soft power rivalry with Russia. Unlike other revolutions such as the Arab Spring, the events in Ukraine are highly sensitive to external competition between foreign powers with stakes in the political course the country is taking."

Supreme Allied Commander Europe Admiral James G. Stavridis, General David H. Petraeus (new Commander of ISAF) and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during a news conference at NATO Headquarters, July 1, 2010.

DoD Photo

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

NATO in Afghanistan: Turning Retreat into Victory

| December 2013

NATO after Afghanistan is an organization that suffers from a certain fatigue pertaining to future stabilization challenges. NATO will not automatically cease to conduct operations after 2014, but the level of ambition will be lower. The Afghanistan experience and the failures of the light footprint approach calls for a thinking that is less liberalist "in the abstract" and more focused on provision of basic services (security, development, and governance).

Discussion Paper - International Security Program, Belfer Center

NATO in Afghanistan: Democratization Warfare, National Narratives, and Budgetary Austerity

| December 2013

This paper explains changes in NATO's nationbuilding strategy for Afghanistan over time as an internal push-and-pull struggle between the major NATO contributors. It distinguishes between he "light footprint" phase, which had numerous problems connected to limited resources and growing insurgency (2003–2008), NATO's adoption of a comprehensive approach (CSPMP) and counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy (2009–2011), the transition and drawdown (2011–2014), and the Enduring Partnership (beyond 2014). The paper explains NATO's drawdown, stressing both increased budgetary strictures compelling decisionmakers to focus on domestic concerns nd predominant national narratives connected to a protracted stabilization effort in Afghanistan.

Book Chapter

The Russo-Georgian War and Beyond: Towards a European Great Power Concert

| September 2013

The outcome of the Russian-Georgian War in August 2008 radically changed the Eastern outlook of the Western powers. The war provoked vigorous international reactions as consequence of the sudden shift in the strategic balance that forced the European states to rethink their strategic options in a narrowed geopolitical environment with less real possibilities for exerting political leverage in the Eastern neighborhood.