Everything about this round of violence feels and looks different…
Robert Merry: The Backlash Against The Liberal World Order
The central reality of today’s political landscape, in John Mearsheimer’s view, is that the post-Cold War period of “unbounded liberalism”- stretching roughly from 1990 to 2016 – is about to be supplanted by an ascendant wave of nationalism.
Pietro Shakarian and Artyom Tonoyan: Turkey Instigates An Old War With Older Ambitions
There is significant evidence that Turkey is the main instigator of the current Karabakh war. The country has been involved in every step of the way from the preparation to the execution of the Azerbaijani war plan.
Maj. Danny Sjursen: The US Military’s ‘Lessons’ From Nagorno-Karabakh
The small and delusional thinking that defines Washington’s framing of the whole NK-conflict – like most other hot zones – filters down the senior, and even midlevel, military ranks. Therefore it’s instructive to drop in on their musings about recent Caucasus combat. Well, it’s about what you’d expect – if a bit heavy on the farcical side.
Jonathan Steele: Stephen F. Cohen argued that the Soviet Union need not have ended when it did
With his sense of humour, gravelly voice and iconoclastic arguments, Cohen entranced generations of students from his academic perch at Princeton University for the three decades from 1968, in which he rose to be professor of politics and Russian studies, and then at New York University (1998-2011).
Barbara Boland: How Azerbaijan Is Lobbying Washington To Sanitize Its War
Documents reveal a flurry of activity to convince beltway elites that Armenia is the aggressor and the U.S. should favor Azerbaijan.
Paul Robinson: On the conflict in Karabakh
The ceasefire agreements, signed in Moscow after the Russian government brought the warring parties together, was something of victory for Russian diplomacy.
Doug Bandow: Washington Should Stop Pretending To Be Turkey’s Ally
They’ve become the fifth columnist of NATO, reminding us that alliances aren’t like diamonds: they don’t last forever.
Kelley Beaucar Vlahos: Out-of-touch foreign policy on display in Harris-Pence showdown
Anyone expecting to get a sense of where the vice presidential candidates stood on the most pressing national security and foreign policy issues of the day were left head shaking and empty handed last night, a testament to how low a priority our overseas wars have become – and how out of touch our elites are with the American people.
AP: Russia reports successful test launch of hypersonic missile
Speaking to Putin via a video call, Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov said the test launch took place Tuesday from the Admiral Groshkov frigate located in the White Sea, in the north of Russia.
Fiona Hill: The Biggest Risk to This Election Is Not Russia. It’s Us.
The idea that Russia determined the election is overstated. It would never have resonated so loudly without our deep polarization – and our structural issues, including the vast discrepancy between the popular vote in favor of Mrs. Clinton and the narrow Electoral College win for Mr. Trump.
Bill Bradley: The Man Who Knew Russia: A Tribute to Stephen F. Cohen
As we disregarded Russian fears and ignored the chance for a true partnership, Steve worried about the resumption of hostile relations between our two countries and possibly a new Cold War.
Ted Galen Carpenter: Paranoia About Trump And Russia Is Dangerous For Our Foreign Policy
The myth that Donald Trump is Vladimir Putin’s puppet just won’t die, even though ample evidence demonstrates that the president’s policy toward Russia has actually been surprisingly hardline and confrontational.
George Beebe: Is Donald Trump secretly a Russian agent?
Mueller’s bottom line that investigators “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities” was widely accepted. Or was it?
Al Monitor: Turkey backs Azerbaijan against Armenia as war looms over Caucasus
Armenia and Azerbaijan are once again fighting over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in a conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey.
Gregory P. Djerejian: An Urgent Need for Conflict Resolution in The Caucasus
The gravity of the situation must now belatedly force greater engagement by the United States, France and Russia.
Amnesty International: Armenia/Azerbaijan: Civilians must be protected from use of banned cluster bombs
Protection of civilians caught in the escalating conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region must be prioritised, Amnesty International said today, after corroborating the use of banned cluster bombs in the region.
Yasha Levine: The war in Artsakh
Last week, Azerbaijan – with Turkey’s backing – launched a surprise attack on the Artsakh Republic, a contested mountainous region that ethnic Soviet Armenians won control of following a bloody war between Armenia and Azerbaijan – a war that broke out as the Soviet Union was starting to collapse
Bloomberg: Erdogan Tests His Bond With Putin In Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
Putin has long pressed for a new multipolar world order where regional powers would pursue their interests without meddling from the U.S., but this does not appear to be the result he had in mind.
Fred Weir: Washington Post Editorial Board Outdoes Itself…Again
I don’t believe I could dream this up even if I literally tried to think of the weirdest, snake-eating-tail way to express #RussiaGate paranoia…. [Read more…] about Fred Weir: Washington Post Editorial Board Outdoes Itself…Again