New Atlanticist

New Russia Sanctions: Analysts and Politicians React

In his remarks Thursday, President Obama announced additional sanctions on individuals within the Russian elite. The expanded list of sanctions also includes a bank. Commentators took to social media immediately to respond to the newest round of Ukraine-related sanctions–from both the US and Russia.

Remarks from President Obama on the Situation in Ukraine

President Obama made remarks on the situation in Ukraine at 11a.m. EDT, Thursday, March 20 from the White House lawn.

Amid Russia’s Assault, Ukraine’s Interim Leaders Scramble to Reform Their Government

By James Rupert

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a thirty-nine-year-old economist, lawyer, and now Ukrainian prime minister, is laboring to democratize his country while Russia, far better armed, works to subvert it. His job, Yatsenyuk has said, is “political suicide.” Russia has forcibly seized Crimea, while Ukraine desperately needs quick loans just to pay its debts. Yatsenyuk has only sixty-seven days […]

Missing Flight 370 Has Israel on High Alert

Atlantic Council Ambassador-in-Residence Michael Oren appeared on Piers Morgan Live to talk about how the search for missing flight 370 has put Israel on high alert. One theory on the disappearance is that the plane was hijacked to be used in a 9/11-style attack. As Oren points out to guest host Bill Wier, Israel’s precarious […]

Putin Declares Crimea Annexed; So How Best Now to Fight for Ukraine?

By James Rupert

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declared annexation of Crimea today changes the power struggle in Eastern Europe. The United States and its allies, which have been warning against that step, immediately must focus on the wider dangers of Putin’s likely next move. Putin aims to reclaim greater Russian influence – and if possible, control – over […]

Russia’s Foreign Policy Reflects Domestic Dysfunction

By Barbara Slavin

Vladimir Putin appears well on his way to reclaiming the Crimea for Russia, restoring the peninsula to a status forfeited by Nikita Khrushchev’s Soviet Union in 1954. But this territorial achievement may provide only temporary distraction for Russia’s 140 million people who have seen their quality of life deteriorate dramatically since Putin took power in 1999. […]

Analysts: As Crimea Vote Is Declared, Putin Is Reaching for Lands Beyond

By New Atlanticist

Sunday’s referendum in Crimea produced the expected result. That vote – and steps by the Russian parliament, the Duma – lay the groundwork not only for Russia’s annexation by Crimea, but for a more formal takeover of lands beyond, say Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Adrian Karatnycky and other analysts. Like many, Karatnycky  begins by noting […]

US Issues Targeted Sanctions on Russian Elites

The US and EU rejected Crimea’s referendum Sunday, issuing statements and new sanctions outlining the West’s overwhelming disapproval of Russian activities in Crimea.

Lessons From Ukraine’s Crisis

By Rajan Menon

The referendum that occurred on Sunday in Crimea was a flagrant violation of Ukraine’s constitution. And it was held amidst a Russian military occupation supposedly mounted to defend ethnic Russians on the peninsula, even though there was no evidence that they were under attack.

Beyond the Crisis, Hope for Ukraine

By James Rupert

An Unlikely ‘Hero’ Voices Frustrations and Optimism of the Maidan Three weeks after many Ukrainians acclaimed Volodymyr Parasiuk a hero for helping to oust his country’s corrupt president, the 26-year-old computer enthusiast seems to reflect two changes that might eventually help a more democratic and stable Ukraine emerge from its crisis. The four-month mass uprising […]