-
1 month ago | 
cepa.org | Steven Wills |Walter C. Clemens |Timothy Garton Ash |Edward Lucas
Ukraine agreed with the US on March 11 that it will immediately engage in a 30-day ceasefire if Russian invasion forces match the pledge. The US will now speak to the Kremlin about this proposal. In return for its agreement, the US will resume intelligence sharing and arms supplies to Ukraine, and the two countries will continue talks about the mining of critical minerals. Edward Lucas, Britain, Author and analystThe ball is in Putin’s court. Finally.
-
2 months ago | 
cepa.org | Daniel Hamilton |Pablo Chavez |Matthew Eitel |Walter C. Clemens
The transatlantic partners are closer in their assessments of the China Challenge today than they were four years ago. When Donald Trump attended his first NATO summit, China was nothing more than an afterthought. NATO leaders now agree that Beijing challenges “our interests, security and values” and “present[s] systemic challenges to the rules-based international order.” Yet transatlantic efforts to meet the China Challenge have proven ineffective.
-
Jan 9, 2025 | 
cepa.org | David Kirichenko |Dorka Takacsy |Chris Stephen |Walter C. Clemens
Beneath the rubble of a destroyed building near the frontlines, commanders from the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade discuss the ongoing battle for Niu-York. What stands out immediately is the striking youth of the soldiers and commanders, many of whom are in their early 20s. Niu-York, a critical frontline town located just south of Toretsk, became a focal point of Russia’s offensive in Donetsk Oblast during the summer of 2024 and nearly fell.
-
Jan 9, 2025 | 
cepa.org | Chris Stephen |Walter C. Clemens |David Kagan |Francis Harris
Vladimir Putin’s search for new military bases in the Mediterranean has ended in Libya, a country as factional and complicated as Syria, from which Russian forces have effectively been expelled. Without ports and airports to supply it, Russia’s imperial mission in Africa may become as ill-fated as its failed intervention in Syria. The Kremlin has installed mercenaries in a growing number of mineral-rich countries deep within the African continent. But supplying those units is far from easy.
-
Jan 7, 2025 | 
cepa.org | Walter C. Clemens |Sergiy Makogon |David Kirichenko |Dorka Takacsy
Both Putin and the Syrian dictator were elected in rigged ballots in 2000. Now Bashar Assad sits in exile with a reportedly unhappy wife amidst the cold of a Moscow winter. He has been granted asylum by Putin, but his presence is an unwelcome reminder of the Russian despot’s failed imperial dreams in the Middle East. Only weeks ago, Assad seemed to the world just as secure as his new host. Now, inevitably, some question whether Putin’s fall might come just as suddenly and unexpectedly.
-
Dec 2, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Walter C. Clemens |Natalia Martinez |Francis Harris |Edward Lucas
Putin and his despotism look secure. His opponents are dead or dispersed, and he sits unchallenged on his throne in the Kremlin, the master of Russia. His greatest opponent, Alexei Navalny, was killed by the Russian state — through malevolence or neglect — while in custody in January. Boris Nemtsov, a leading challenger to Vladimir Putin, was assassinated as he walked near the Kremlin in 2015.
-
Nov 21, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Alina Polyakova |Ronan Murphy |Bill Echikson |Walter C. Clemens
Over the past decade, the European Commission made tech regulation a top priority, passing a slew of new laws increasing the responsibility of platforms and attempting to thwart so-called digital “gatekeepers.” But Europe’s digital transformation is far from complete. The continent faces major challenges, from security to economic competitiveness. A new Commission must now switch gears to ensure that Europe can compete on the world stage. That starts with tech.
-
Nov 20, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Francis Harris |Walter C. Clemens |Kseniya Kirillova |Maciej Bukowski
Oleksandr is 24 and has one leg. When the Russians assaulted his frontline position, he was wounded by a one-way drone. Tying a tourniquet around his right thigh, he fought on for two hours. It took even longer to get him to a medical facility. “By the time I got to the doctors, I knew I was going to lose my leg,” he said. “It was just too late.
-
Nov 20, 2024 | 
counterpunch.org | Walter C. Clemens
J,D, Vance explained in 2020 why he put aside the elitist atheism he picked up in college and law school to become a Catholic (“How I Joined the Resistance,” The Lamp, April 1, 2020). His quest for a meaningful life led Vance to be baptized a Catholic in 2019. The sentiments he so eloquently endorsed in 2020 suggested that in politics he would act as a Pope Francis progressive—the very opposite of a sophist acolyte for Donald J. Trump.
-
Nov 14, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Walter C. Clemens |Aliide Naylor |Doug Livermore |Veronika Puhach
Mornings are the worst. Today, once again, I woke and wondered if you’d survived the night. I checked the messenger channels to see when you were online. I checked throughout the day, but you’ve been offline for four days now. Four days. Direct communication means so much. When you’re offline, but “last seen” online less than a day ago, I can be calm and fairly sure that you’re okay. Blissfully, you — my husband — tend to be online regularly despite being on active duty.
