Tag: Adversaries
-
Will Russian Aggression in Ukraine Convince Finland and Sweden to Finally Join NATO?
For decades, both Finland and Sweden, two historically neutral countries in northern Europe, have chosen not to seek membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. However, the recent buildup of Russian troops along the Ukraine border and subsequent invasion have renewed debate in both countries about joining the alliance, prompting an irritated response…
-
Qatar is Back at the Center of International Politics…Again
Qatar yet again finds itself at the center of international politics. In September, this blog argued that the United States relied on Qatar, one of its closest Persian Gulf allies, to play an outsized diplomatic role, serving as a key interlocutor for the Americans in Afghanistan and with Iran. The United States is again reaching…
-
Counterterrorism Strike, Necessary for Biden’s Political Survival, Shows Islamic State on the Rise
For over a week, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has consumed much of the world, causing fear of the instigation of a potential war between Russia and the United States and its European allies. This invasion by Russia is yet another reminder that, while the United States ended its forever war in Afghanistan last August in…
-
U.S. Ties with Adversaries at Lowest Points in Decades
Shortly after taking office, U.S. President Joe Biden revealed his vision of U.S. foreign policy, pivoting toward American’s most serious competitor, China, leading with diplomacy, affirming the value of America’s U.S. alliances, and countering what he sees as a global showdown between democracy and autocracy. Despite the grand ideas, the administration has had to contend…
-
The United States and Europe Must Do More for Ukraine
Eight years after seizing Crimea and throwing its weight behind a separatist insurgency in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Russia – one of the United States’ primary adversaries – has done the unthinkable. After months of U.S. warnings, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway provinces controlled by Russian-backed separatists and subsequently deployed Russian…
-
Democracy or Allies? Biden Has a Tough Choice to Make
On December 9 and 10, President Biden kicked off a virtual Summit of Democracy, fulfilling one of his signature campaign pledges. The much-vaunted Summit, which focuses on defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights, fits neatly into the Biden administration’s fight against authoritarianism. In fact, Biden’s foreign policy is partly defined…
-
EU Membership is the Solution to U.S. and EU Concerns in the Western Balkans
On October 6, the 27 European Union (EU) member states met with their counterparts in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia – at a summit in Slovenia to discuss the Western Balkans nations joining the EU. However, many dismissed the summit as a perfunctory effort by Slovenia, who currently holds the EU’s rotating…
-
Ukraine Is Unlikely To Become a NATO Member Any Time Soon
On December 3, the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence indicated that Russia was planning a potential military invasion of Ukraine as soon as early 2022. This intelligence report came after a buildup of Russian troops on its border with Ukraine over the past month. Relations between the Russia and the United States and its…
-
Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Are at an Impasse
In the first round of negotiations since last parting in June, Iran and the other signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China – met in Vienna, Austria to resume talks in hopes of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Under a new regime led by…
-
Is American Really Back? That’s What America’s European Allies Would Like to Know
“America is back,” claimed U.S. President Joe Biden in his first foreign policy speech after taking office after four tumultuous years of a Trump presidency. “We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again,” he pledged in his inaugural address in January. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed these promises in a…
Allies and Adversaries 