New Atlanticist

The Syrian Sisyphus

By Harlan Ullman

The framework for elimination of Syrian chemical weapons agreed to last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could, and could is the operative word, potentially become the most stunning geostrategic event in global security since Richard Nixon’s outreach to China and the demise of the Soviet Union. […]

Iran’s Footprint in Syria

By Henry Johnson

While US strategy towards Syria has been mired by indecision, Iran has steadily entrenched its interests in the war-torn country. Iran has pursued a two-track policy of, on the one hand, directly propping up the regime, and, on the other, equipping and training militias loyal to Bashar al-Assad. It has also promoted the convergence of […]

European Values, not Geopolitics, Should Decide Ukraine’s European Integration

By Taras Kuzio

The European Parliament on September 12 called on Russia to respect the right of EU Eastern Partnership members such as Ukraine to enter Association Agreements and not use trade sanctions, forcing them to choose the Eurasian over the European Union. The trade war is music to the ears of the authoritarian Ukrainian authorities who have […]

It Isn’t the Military’s Place to Weigh in on the Syria Debate

By James Joyner

America’s generals and admirals, junior officers, and enlisted people overwhelmingly oppose military intervention in Syria. We should not know that.

Diplomacy to the Rescue in Syria?

By R. Nicholas Burns

A huge collective sigh of relief from the White House, Congress, and Bashar Assad’s palace in Damascus was heard round the world earlier this week when the Russians came to the rescue. The unlikely savior — the cynical and calculating Vladimir Putin — seized the moment in the Syria quagmire by offering a lifeline of […]

Initial Reaction to the Geneva Joint Statement

Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and UN Special Representative Lakhdar just emerged from their discussion about a potential Geneva 2 peace conference to make brief, individual statements. Questions were not taken. According to Kerry, if progress can be made on the chemical issue he and Lavrov would likely meet in […]

China in the Regional Order: It’s not about Parity

By Robert A. Manning and James Przystup

To answer Hugh White’s initial question, ‘what is America’s ultimate aim in Asia today?’, there is no mystery about American aims in Asia: it is simply a rules-based order with unimpeded access to the global commons.