Since inauguration day, the Trump White House has routinely evoked a deep-rooted Cold War framework for expressing America’s relationship with war. This framing sits at odds with the president’s inaugural address in which Mr. Trump, conjuring Richard Nixon, argued that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” From January 2025 on, the administration has instead engaged in a steady drumbeat of aggressive militaristic taunting, threatening real and perceived enemi...| Responsible Statecraft
Reflections on the Alaska and Washington Summits The first months of Trump’s return to office have been dominated by one question: what will he do about Ukraine? Supporters insist he alone can brin…| Branislav L. Slantchev
The US-Russia meeting did not produce a deal, but the direction of travel it indicated should alarm Europeans. They must redouble efforts to support Ukraine and bolster their own defences| European Council on Foreign Relations
The Trump-brokered deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan signals public US involvement in one of Europe’s most protracted conflicts. But the ceremony may have come too soon, triggering dynamics that could threaten lasting peace.| European Council on Foreign Relations
There is a pitched information battle occurring around the globe between powerful states about their respective versions of international order. The Kremlin effectively employs a “firehose of falsehood” about the nature of the Russo-Ukraine War, the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Russia’s place in the world.[1] China’s military doctrine goes as... Source| H-Diplo|RJISSF
The foreign policy world is still making sense of the Trump Administration’s massive cuts to the US State Department last week. Under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nearly 1500 employeesR…| The Duck of Minerva
"It’s been a pretty crappy 45 days" for those trying to keep the president from making the same mistakes as his predecessors| Responsible Statecraft
11 July 2025 | PDF: https://issforum.org/to/jrt16-47 | Website: rjissf.org | Twitter: @HDiplo Editor: Diane Labrosse Commissioning Editor: John M. Schuessler Production Editor: Christopher Ball Pre…| H-Diplo|RJISSF
The vice-president’s attack on European values signalled a historic realignment. Should the continent seek rapprochement or go its own way? ask Nathalie Tocci, Yanis Varoufakis and others| the Guardian
Jeffrey A. Friedman, Dartmouth College 3 July 2025 | PDF: http://issforum.org/to/RE131 | Website: rjissf.org | X: @HDiplo Editor: Diane Labrosse Commissioning Editor: Daniel R. Hart Production Editor…| H-Diplo|RJISSF
1 July 2025 | PDF: http://issforum.org/to/RE129 | Website: rjissf.org | X: @HDiplo Editor: Diane Labrosse Commissioning Editor: Daniel R. Hart Production Editor: Christopher Ball Pre-Production Copy…| H-Diplo|RJISSF
I dislike the term “soft power.” We owe the term to the late, great Joseph Nye. He popularized it in his 1990 book, Bound to Lead. Nye’s book was, first and foremost, an intervention in the “declinism” debates of the later 1980s. Japan was at the peak of its influence; some projected that its economy […]| The Duck of Minerva
The current political crisis in Afghanistan is actually an important step towards a realistic peaceful solution: a political “unsettlement”. The post Afghan Peace is Now About the Art of the Possible, Not the Perfect appeared first on Foreign Policy Journal.| Foreign Policy Journal
Renowned international relations scholar and practitioner Joseph S. Nye passed away last week. Numerous tributes have been written, noting his high quality scholarship and influence on US foreign p…| The Duck of Minerva
It’s hard to keep track of the problems confronting Americans these days. But, just in case a reminder is needed, climate change is still a thing. Casual observers may have noted that US climate policy has been…underwhelming, see-sawing between ‘Build Back Better’ aspirations and climate denialism. Now climate policy wunderkind Varun Sivaram has called for a rethink […]| The Duck of Minerva
Donald Trump’s second term in office is causing great concern about the future of the Liberal International Order (ILO) in Western capitals and headquarters of international organizations (IOs). Over the course of the last months, Trump fundamentally attacked international institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Paris Agreement, and the World Trade […]| The Duck of Minerva
With the news avalanche that is Trump, it’s hard to keep track of all the outrageous things he says and does. With his recent very vocal attempts at land grabs (that we are not entirely sure will stay rhetorical) that are already being normalized in both right-wing and mainstream media, it’s important to look back […]| The Duck of Minerva
I published an article yesterday in Real Clear Defense. The title is “The Road to Securing European Cooperation on China Runs Through Ukraine”, but I suppose I could have called this piece, “How t…| The Duck of Minerva
The buzzword of the first Trump administration was “Great Power Competition.” That was also a lie.| The Duck of Minerva
A new ECFR poll points to Europeans’ widespread (but not universal) reassessment of the transatlantic relationship, and extensive opportunities for the new US president to divide them if they do not…| ECFR
US President Jimmy Carter’s funeral is being held today in Washington, DC at the National Cathedral. Since he passed away shortly after Christmas, tributes have abounded about a man once deri…| The Duck of Minerva
As the Maduro and Trump inaugurations draw near, the outgoing Biden administration met with opposition politician Edmundo González.| Venezuelanalysis
Trump and Netanyahu can finally kill the concept of an independent Palestinian state, part of the ultimate "Art of the Deal."| Politics Today
The West doesn’t have the financial clout to pursue global primacy – if it ever did.| TheAltWorld
Video: Washington hawks may be taking things to extreme, at what cost?| Responsible Statecraft
Garry Kasparov in a long interview with Rbc-Ukraine: The fall of the “mafia-type dictator” Vladimir Putin “will be inevitable after the liberation of Ukraine. The war cannot end while Putin is in power. Putin’s downfall will be the result of Russia’shttps://t.co/BbRmR7grpi — Maria Esteves (@marlesteves) August 17, 2023 .@Kasparov63: “#Putin’s downfall will be the result... Read More| Kasparov
8.13.2023| Kasparov
The idea that he has been running the world betrays a dangerous arrogance about his importance — and current reality| Responsible Statecraft
June 23, 2024 (In this installment, I cover the crucial period from 1989 to the 1999 NATO enlargement. The subsequent developments will be dealt with in a follow-up essay.) In recent days, both Pre…| Branislav L. Slantchev
Dr. Suzanne Humphries, author of 'Dissolving Illusions', dispels the illusion that smallpox disappeared because of mass vaccination.| Jeremy R. Hammond
May 28, 2024 A week or so ago, Aleksandar Djokic sent me some questions about transition to a war economy for an article he was writing (you can read it here). I wrote a reply that was way too long…| Branislav L. Slantchev
ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan is seeking arrest warrants against two Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, and three Hamas officials.| Jeremy R. Hammond
(The Times of Israel) – Did you notice the three members of Congress wearing swastikas during President Biden’s State of the Union address early in March? They adorned U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Summer Lee (D-Pa.),…| Defend Israel, Defend Freedom
It took a country-wide power outage in Venezuela, whispers of a cyberattack, and smug tweets from US officials to make Continue reading →| Mideast Shuffle
Israelis now find themselves at the cusp of a new era defined by the breakdown of the country’s legal system, political crisis and social instability.| Foreign Policy Journal
May 11, 2023 It has been a month since my last comprehensive update, and now there is enough accumulated material to write an update on the eve of the coming Ukrainian summer offensive. There is a …| Branislav L. Slantchev
