What the Crisis in Ukraine Means for Northeast Asia

Posted by on Apr 18, 2014 in Articles, Asia, Featured, Russia and Eastern Europe, Uncategorized | 0 comments International borders are manmade. They are arbitrary, although they often conform to some natural feature of the landscape. And they are very difficult to change. It is a cornerstone of the international system that borders should not be altered by force. Particularly since the end of World War II, the international system has resisted any changes to the map. Of course, the map of the world has...
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NATO on Viagra

Posted by on Apr 11, 2014 in Articles, Featured, Russia and Eastern Europe, Security, US Foreign Policy | 0 comments The North Atlantic Treaty Organization just hit 65. That’s retirement age, especially for an alliance structure that was born, grew up, and prospered during a bygone era. The war in Afghanistan is winding down. European countries are, by and large, reducing their military spending. The United States is theoretically engaged in a pivot to the Pacific. NATO should be getting the message. Someone...
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Brown Is the New Black

Posted by on Mar 27, 2014 in Articles, Featured, Russia and Eastern Europe | 0 comments The new spring season is just around the corner, and it looks as though the new “in” color is brown. That’s brown as in “brown shirts.” Perhaps you thought that fascism went out of fashion in the 20th century. But there’s nothing like a lingering economic crisis to bring out the vintage ideologies. The far right is expected to do well in the upcoming European Parliament elections in...
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If I Didn’t Have a Hammer

Posted by on Mar 20, 2014 in Featured, Russia and Eastern Europe, US Foreign Policy | 0 comments For the long eight years of the George W. Bush administration, progressives decried the over-militarization of U.S. foreign policy. The Pentagon’s budget doubled, and U.S. military exports surged. Instead of deploying international law against Osama bin Laden, the United States deployed troops in Afghanistan. It went on to invade Iraq and threaten Iran. The Bush administration gave the CIA...
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Who Are the People?

Posted by on Mar 14, 2014 in Articles, Featured, Human Rights, Russia and Eastern Europe, US Foreign Policy | 0 comments The people have spoken. They have elected a government. No, wait, I hear the angry shouts of a demonstration in the streets. “We are the people,” they are crying. The crowd is getting larger and larger. They are pressing against the gates of parliament and the presidential palace. And now the government has fallen. The people have spoken. I don’t blame you for being just a little confused...
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The Standoff in Ukraine (and also in Washington)

Posted by on Mar 8, 2014 in Articles, Featured, Russia and Eastern Europe, US Foreign Policy | 1 comment As the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance, U.S. politicians from both parties have been scrambling to take advantage of the crisis. Republicans in Congress have slammed President Barack Obama for his “trembling inaction.” Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has revived the hawkish approach of her pre-secretary of state years by comparing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s actions to Hitler’s. With...
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