Europe is one of the safest and the most prosperous parts of the world. Will it change to worse because of nuclear arms control degradation?
Europe as a nuclear battlefield
The number of nuclear weapon states, their respective arsenals, and transatlantic nuclear arrangements make Europe one of the most “nuclearized” continents. Luckily, even when the total warhead numbers were even higher, nuclear use had been avoided – although the threat remains real. Relations between Russia and NATO currently...
Right now, such scenarios look very unlikely
There is no doubt that the EU can put together a modern and powerful army. Europe has more than enough human, financial, industrial, and technological resources to do that. However, if the EU has not yet done this despite continuous discussions, political statements, and even approved programs, it means the incentives to proceed are not strong enough. First, nobody is eager to have a military machine in Europe duplicating NATO or even some of its functions...
Artificial intelligence in military affairs
Earlier this year, the author had an opportunity to participate in a
workshop
held under the auspices of SIPRI and the Pathfinder Foundation concerning the introduction of machine learning and autonomy in the nuclear forces-related systems. Interaction of new technologies (which include artificial intelligence in the broadest sense of the word) with means for preventing global conflict (as well as ensuring Armageddon if necessary) is one of the most...
On April 29, 2019, RIAC hosted a closed expert seminar "Opportunities for Conflict Resolution in Eastern Ukraine" with the participation of Martin Sajdik, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group.
On April 29, 2019, RIAC hosted a closed expert seminar "Opportunities for Conflict Resolution in Eastern Ukraine" with the participation of Martin Sajdik, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine...
The United States offers other forces to take responsibility for the situation in Afghanistan
U.S. senators Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Tom Udall proposed to Congress the draft
American Forces Going Home After Noble Service Act (AFGHAN, 2019)
. In fact, this step allowed lawmakers to start the process of securing a legal base in the Congress for the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision on the almost halved (from 14 000 persons) reduction of military presence in Afghanistan.
The project...
The speech was made by Greg Thielmann on April 1, 2019 in Grinnell College, the United States
Introduction
I wanted to start with a theme I encountered in a book, entitled The Internationalists, about the Kellogg-Briand “Peace Pact” — the 1928 treaty, signed in Paris, which outlawed war.
I had learned long ago that this agreement was naïve and utterly feckless, spectacularly failing to prevent an even more cataclysmic world war than the one, which spawned it. But the two Yale Law School professors...
What might be a “second option” for Russia in Syria?
The situation around Russia in Syria is up for debate. No doubt, Russia would like to lead a reconstruction effort in Syria, in harmony with all relevant partners, including the UN, the EU, the USA, China, India, Turkey, Iran, Israel, the Sunni Arab states including the Golf Council Countries (GCC-states), Egypt and Morocco. However, many of the parties on the list of wished-for partners are strongly hostile to each other, and it might therefore...
The conclusion of the Mueller investigation presents certain opportunities for U.S.–Russia Relations
Andrey Kortunov:
Mueller Report: A Reason for Optimism
The completion of the Mueller investigation ended with the deafening defeat of the opponents of the incumbent President of the United States. A supposed grand conspiracy lay at the heart of the “intervention theory” — the assumption that the Kremlin had coordinated a large-scale plan to support Trump and undermine democracy. The formerly respectable...
... maintaining and building upon the global economic institutions that have worked so well to date, such as the World Trade Organisation. It can also refer to the fact that Australia has for some time made a significant contribution in treasure and blood to international security in areas far from our home region — in the Middle East and Afghanistan in particular. It also refers to our active engagement in multilateral diplomacy, including on key international security regimes.
In terms of how do we go ...
U.S.–Russia Relations after Mueller Report
It’s generally easier to be a pessimist than to be an optimist. This is especially true when it comes to the current state and dynamics of Russian-American relations. We all have long been accustomed to the fact that these relations are developing according to the formula “today is worse than yesterday, but better than tomorrow”.
The latest news about the results of Robert Mueller’s commission didn’t give rise to new hopes as much as they created new anxieties...
