Content

Dispatches

Dec 24, 2025

The Middle East is on the brink of a new crisis. Here’s where it could start.

By Alex Plitsas

No one should confuse the patchwork of temporary cease-fire agreements in place throughout the Middle East for sustainable deterrence and peace.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Dec 23, 2025

Reclaiming Russia’s ‘historical lands’: How far do Putin’s imperial ambitions extend?

By Peter Dickinson

Putin has again vowed to "liberate Russia's historical lands" via negotiations or military means. The list of countries that could qualify as "historically Russian" in Putin's revisionist worldview is long and extends far beyond Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Central Europe Conflict

TURKEYSource

Dec 19, 2025

How NATO and its partners should respond to Russia’s militarization of the wider Black Sea region

By Arnold C. Dupuy

As Russia continues to destabilize and militarize the Black Sea region, helping bolster regional security will require a concerted focus.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

Prisoner releases are welcome news but talk of a Belarus thaw is premature

By Hanna Liubakova

The freeing of 123 political prisoners in Belarus last week is encouraging news but should not be interpreted as an indication of more fundamental change, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

By Doug Klain

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict Human Rights

New Atlanticist

Dec 18, 2025

Can US leaders convince Americans that Taiwan is worth fighting for?

By Phillip M. Ramirez

If elected leaders in the United States want to continue to deter Chinese military action, they must work to convince Beijing that Americans would be willing to fight for Taiwan.

China Conflict

New Atlanticist

Dec 17, 2025

To curb violence in Nigeria, the US should offer Abuja carrots, not sticks

By Haleigh Bartos, John Chin, and Julien Derroitte

If the Trump administration wants to help Nigeria address violence and terrorism, it should offer the country incentives, not threaten punitive actions against it.

Conflict Extremism

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

‘Putin is lying’: Zelenskyy visits front to expose false claims of Russian gains

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a personal visit last week to a front line city that Putin has repeatedly bragged of seizing in order to expose the Russian leader's habit of lying about battlefield gains, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

The only winner from Ukrainian wartime elections would be Putin

By Yuriy Boyechko

Ukrainians are fighting to defend their democracy against Kremlin authoritarianism, but they are also in no rush to hold wartime elections amid relentless Russian bombardment and with millions of Ukrainians displaced, writes Yuriy Boyechko.

Conflict Elections

Dispatches

Dec 16, 2025

Europe’s battle over Russia’s blocked assets is nearing its endgame

By Charles Lichfield

EU heads of state and government meet this week to discuss and vote on a “reparations loan” plan that would use blocked Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

Conflict Economy & Business

Experts