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Foreign Policy
The U.S. Should Avoid a Direct Military Confrontation with Iran
Tehran wants a war. President Trump should show restraint.The Iranian government’s recent announcement that it would surpass previously-agreed-upon uranium enrichment limits should come as no surprise. In fact, the regime’s scattered mining efforts in the Persian Gulf, as well as the recent downing of a U.S. military RQ-4A Global Hawk drone were…
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Book Review: The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy
Stephen M. Walt offers a character study of three U.S. administrations and the vast network of think tanks and policy wonks that have influenced the trajectory of America’s recent foreign policy – from its political victories to its fiascoes. This book will be rewarding reading for anyone wanting to understand contemporary developments in U.S.…
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Hungary’s Relationship with Russia Poses a Risk for Europe
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine enters its fifth year, another Eastern European state is appearing on the Kremlin's radar, albeit in quite a different regard: Hungary.
This is hardly surprising to many—Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn has been espousing an anti-European and pro-Russian campaign for some time now. While Hungary…
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Russia Faces Rising Costs 5 Years After Crimea’s Annexation
For the Kremlin, Crimea is a suitcase without a handle.
The Crimean Peninsula may have strategic significance for the Russian military, but Russian President Vladimir Putin can no longer play the Crimea card at home for political gain. Even though the 2014 annexation of Crimea resulted in a sharp increase in the Russian president’s approval…
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New Delhi’s Foreign Policy in the Indian Ocean
Originally published on Foreign Brief by Nicholas Burkett
What's Happening?
As part of a renewed pushback against Chinese influence, India announced in February that it would allocate $361 million for aid to the Maldives, a fourfold increase from 2018-19.
Key Insights
Beijing and New Delhi are competing for influence throughout the Indian…
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India’s Strategy for Regional Hegemony Depends on Afghanistan
India's role in Southeast and Central Asia is being shaped through Afghanistan.Many countries, both regional and global powers, are working in Afghanistan to secure their interests in Southeast Asia. Afghanistan’s strategic location is of substantial value for India; increased and ongoing engagement in the country by India is likely. …
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What does Erdoğan want from the Jamal Khashoggi Murder?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not known for soft rhetoric.
Erdoğan confronted former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and accused him to his face of murdering children on the beaches of Gaza. He accused the German government of “Nazi actions” when it wouldn’t allow him to campaign for his presidential referendum. He accused the…
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Russia Returns to Afghanistan
On November 9, the Kremlin hosted representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban in Moscow.
Afghanistan has been plagued with four decades of war and conflict. Afghans are understandably wary of any notion of manufactured peace. It has been understood, to varying degrees, that a cessation of the ongoing conflict between the Taliban and…
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How Chinese Exceptionalism Fuels an Expansionist Foreign Policy
China’s approach to international relations and foreign policy has been shaped by its geopolitical history.
China's vast amounts of territory are inhabited by diverse groups of people—each with distinct cultural, political, economic, and religious traditions. Today, the Chinese Communist Party aims to forge a single, homogeneous "Chinese" national…
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Why Russia Thinks It’s Exceptional
Destiny calls upon Russia once more to face the West – or so Russians might believe.
America is not alone in projecting itself as an exceptional power and vital force for good in the world. Russia makes the same claim. That sentiment is built upon centuries of defeating invaders, as I explore in “Russia: The Story of War.” And it plays a crucial…
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As Russia Identifies as a Eurasian Power, It Turns Away from Europe
The relationship between Russia and the E.U. is at its lowest point since the Cold War.The E.U. first decided to impose sanctions in the wake of the March 2014 annexation of Crimea, which were expanded a few months later after Russia began a destabilizing hybrid war in eastern Ukraine, and after a Russian-made missile destroyed Malaysia Airlines…
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Russian Expansionism is a Consequence of Geography
Geographically, Russia's defining trait was its indefensibility.
Russia has been threatened by invasions for centuries. The country’s western borders have always been distinctly vulnerable, with no mountain ranges, bodies of water, or other geographical features to serve as natural defenses.
The European landmass that borders western Russia is…
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