Stephen Blank

1 week ago | cepa.org | Stephen Blank

According to British Intelligence, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Vladimir Putin wants the Western Balkans to be his “next playground.” This is a late recognition of something that has been going on for years. The entire Balkans region has for too long been Putin’s playground, or second front, in Europe. Moscow has waged an unrelenting campaign to destabilize Moldova, enjoys substantial influence in Bulgaria and has been revealed as trying to subvert Romania’s election.

1 week ago | townhall.com | Stephen Blank

Since its inception, the Iranian government has been devoted to undermining the West, including attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets, plots against Iranian dissidents, and influence operations aimed at neutralizing select U.S. and Western policies and personnel. The regime employs a mix of agents, terrorist proxies, and criminal networks to carry out its agenda.

2 weeks ago | 19fortyfive.com | Stephen Blank

Russian President Vladimir Putin has just played his latest trick. On April 28, he suddenly announced a unilateral three-day truce in fighting in Ukraine to extend from May 8-10. Ostensibly, this truce is supposed to be in honor of VE day, which Russia celebrates on May 9 as the anniversary of the German surrender to the Allies in World War II (the formal surrender occurred after midnight on May 9, according to Moscow time).

1 month ago | townhall.com | Stephen Blank

President Donald Trump is pursuing an activist foreign policy, pressing its allies and partners to rapidly step up and contribute to keeping international peace.  In this abrupt change and transformation period, many of the established frameworks for international cooperation are being stress-tested while new ones emerge.   One newly created cooperative framework currently stands out as having a great potential for becoming a locomotive for security and economic cooperation.

1 month ago | 19fortyfive.com | Stephen Blank

Are there grounds to hope the Trump administration is preparing a deal of genius to end the war in Ukraine? Donald Trump is the author of a book called The Art of the Deal. It’s an admired volume—the Chicago Tribune wrote of it: “Donald Trump is a dealmaker. He is a dealmaker the way lions are carnivores and water is wet.”But we are entitled to ask how and indeed whether that private-sector skill is transferring to the world of international politics. I have doubts.