What is Russian President Vladimir Putin's game plan? As the Kremlin's troops loom at the Ukrainian border, Fiona Hill paints a vivid psychological portrait of Putin in an opinion essay.
Separately in Foreign Affairs, Angela Stent outlines how Putin's threat to Ukraine reveals a mindset that suggests Russia will create more mischief in years to come.
President Biden's China policy is a muted rerun of his predecessor’s hostile approach, Jeffrey A. Bader argues. In a new piece, Bader outlines what the Biden administration should do instead.
If Russia decides to invade Ukraine, what options does the U.S. have? Michael E. O'Hanlon and David G. Victor write the U.S. could retaliate by sanctioning the oil and gas exports that pay for Russia's military activities.
“It is difficult to see how adding Ukraine to NATO could enhance the region’s security. More likely, it would further antagonize Russia and increase, rather than reduce, the risks of some type of conflict.”
January 27, 2022 | Michael O’Hanlon and Stephen Van Evera, The Hill
More on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
Parsing Putin. In a segment for the On My Mind podcast, Angela Stent speaks about Russia's most recent display of aggression.
Eyes on the Arctic. Jeremy Greenwood writes in High North News about the implications of the Russia-Ukraine crisis for territorial jostling in the Arctic.
Germany's refusal to provide Ukraine with weapons. Some NATO countries, including Denmark, Spain, France, and the Netherlands, have sent military aid to Kyiv. On NPR's Morning Edition, Constanze Stelzenmüller explains why Germany has not done the same.
International affairs
Zombie diplomacy. With nothing to show for years of mediation in Syria between the U.N. and Bashar Assad's regime, Steven Heydemann and Karam Shaar write that diplomatic attempts to solve the war have lost any vitality or bite.
