United States and Canada

Stop Blaming NATO for Putin’s Provocations

By James Goldgeier, New Republic

The principal problem with the argument against NATO enlargement is that it never offers an alternative beyond leaving Europe frozen in time in 1989.

Canada Sending Six Fighter Jets for NATO Operation in Eastern Europe

By Hannah Thibedeau, CBC News

Canada is sending six CF-18s and military personnel to assist NATO in operations in Eastern Europe.

European Defense Post-QDR

With the recent release of the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) from the US Department of Defense there is a need to analyze and create a strategy to deal with the world ahead. On April 16, 2014, a panel of experts on the defense budget and international security discussed the strategy and means by which […]

Strong Sanctions May Have Prevented Russia’s Intervention in Eastern Ukraine

By Editorial Board, Washington Post

A tough Western reaction might have stopped the Russian offensive after last weekend. Now it is far more dangerous.

Russian Jet Made Multiple, Close Passes Near US Warship in Black Sea

By Lolita Baldor, AP

A U.S. military official says a Russian fighter jet made multiple, close-range passes near an American warship in the Black Sea for more than 90 minutes Saturday amid escalating tensions in the region.

Manning and Przystup: Obama-Abe Summit should Overcome Dangerous ‘Mirror-Image Trust Gap’

By Robert A. Manning and James Przystup

As U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gear up for a timely summit, a festering sense of uncertainty and unease stalks the U.S.-Japan alliance as it approaches a critical juncture. After an exciting first year marked by renewed economic dynamism and impressive efforts to enhance Japan’s global strategic posture, Abe’s pragmatic streak […]

Gates: US Response to Russia’s Use of Force Likely to Lead to ‘More Crises and Conflict’

By Robert Gates, Stars and Stripes

I think an actual invasion would be a very critical matter and a source of great concern. But I think — I think it’s a concern for the same reason that the invasion of Crimea or the seizure of Crimea is a concern.

Russia Will Respond Only to Increased Sanctions Over Ukraine

By Editorial Board, Washington Post

It’s worth asking whether Mr. Putin would have launched his latest provocation if the United States had continued to raise the pressure on the Russian economy in the weeks since the last measures were unveiled on March 20.

Playing to Putin’s End Game

By R. Nicholas Burns

It is best to watch what Putin does, not listen to what he says This week’s ethnic Russian demonstrations in Eastern Ukraine, fistfights in the Ukrainian parliament, and the image of a country unraveling are all too predictable. They are right out of Putin’s Crimea playbook from a month ago. And just as in Crimea, […]

US Troops May be Sent to Eastern Europe

By John-Thor Dahlburg, AP

NATO’s top military commander in Europe, drafting countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine, said Wednesday they could include deployment of American troops to alliance member states in Eastern Europe now feeling at risk.