Conflict

Cutting off Russia from SWIFT will really sting

By Harley Balzer

While Russia has attempted to reduce its dependence on the SWIFT payment system, it remains vulnerable to a sanctions cut-off in the event of a new Kremlin offensive in Putin's eight-year undeclared war against Ukraine.

Ukrainians call on US Senate to sanction Putin’s pipeline weapon

By Ukrainian civil society representatives

US senators are set to vote in the coming days on a bill for new sanctions against Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Ukrainian civil society representatives have issued an appeal calling on senators to back sanctions.

The US and NATO must attack Vladimir Putin’s intimidation strategy

By Harlan Ullman

The current US approach to the crisis with Russia is predictable and conventional. The principle author of the "shock and awe" doctrine, Harlan Ullman, believes it is time to turn Putin's intimidation tactics against him.

Can the US avoid both appeasement and war? This week’s Russia talks will be revealing.

By Frederick Kempe

By this week’s end, the United States and its allies likely will know whether Vladimir Putin is willing to negotiate or whether he’s determined to escalate.

AC Selects: US allies, Ukraine’s endgame, and Venezuela’s path forward

Week of January 9, 2021 This week, Scowcroft Center experts discussed how the United States will meet future defense challenges in cooperation with allies and partners. The Eurasia Center convened its experts to contemplate Russia’s endgame in Ukraine, and what might the Kremlin hope to achieve by escalating its invasion? Finally, the Latin America Center […]

How to make a Russian invasion of Ukraine prohibitively expensive

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

Bolstering Ukraine's ability to wage an effective asymmetric campaign on home soil may be the most effective way to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

I’m the former foreign minister of Yemen. My country is starving and needs the international community’s help.

By Khaled H. Alyemany

The situation in Yemen cannot be permitted to continue on its current trajectory. The international community must act immediately to remedy its issues and change the country’s course from disaster to diplomacy.