481 Items

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, head of General Staff, and head of the main directorate of combat training head an operation during military drills in Crimea, Friday, Sept. 9, 2016

Pavel Golovkin/AP

Analysis & Opinions - The National Interest

Yes, Russia's Military Is Training for a 'Mega War.' That's What Militaries Do.

| August 30, 2016

The latest series of military exercises in Russia have unnerved its Western neighbors, who are concerned that Russia may be preparing for a military campaign. The Russian military is indeed preparing for war, but that does not mean the Kremlin actually plans to initiate one anytime soon.

Syrian soldiers walk at the entrance of Daraya, a blockaded Damascus suburb, August 26, 2016.

AP

Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy

Sacrificing a Queen for a Knight

| August 26, 2016

It will take focused, determined, and vigorous diplomacy in addition to the Obama administration's recognition that the Syria chemical weapons deal was not a proud moment to hold the Assad government accountable. To succeed, Obama will need to craft a consensus, albeit not necessarily a unanimous one, that the Assad government must go because it has repeatedly and grossly violated norms of civilized behavior, and that those who ordered and conducted the attacks must be held personally responsible.

Fighters of the Azov Battalion prepare to fire an anti-tank weapon in eastern Ukraine. Government and Russian-backed separatist forces face off against one another, taken Sunday, March 23, 2015.

Mstyslav Chernov/AP

Analysis & Opinions - The National Interest

Does Russia Want War With Ukraine? Not Really—Or Not Yet

| August 18, 2016

The disagreements between Moscow and Kiev on whether there were any armed skirmishes in Crimea at all and, if so, which side initiated them, did not stop international media from sounding alarms that a war may soon break out between Russia and Ukraine.