War and Peace with Ukrainian Characteristics

Few in Washington seem overly worried about the apparent stalemate in Ukraine, where Kyiv’s forces can’t break through Russia’s fortified defenses. Meanwhile, America is entirely concentrated on the latest from China – complex malware reportedly able to cripple US cyber systems. According to The New York Times, which broke the story: “The discovery of the malware has […]

DeTrumping America?

Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s call on his supporters to rise in protest against his reportedly impending indictment breaks the first principle in a democratic state: trust in its institutions. A trial can be right or wrong in thousands of ways, but it’s a different ballgame if you don’t accept it. In this way, he says […]

Saudi-Iran in Chinese sauce

Last week’s deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia brokered by China is a significant success for Beijing, and it could as well change the shape of the Middle East. Still, it’s not clear in which direction it could spin. It may bring benefits to everybody, or it might also increase conflict in the region. The […]

US strategy and Qin Gang’s loss

The United States, after World War II, rebuilt Europe, Japan and South Korea, creating new vibrant states that were not American “colonies”. They had a dialectic relationship with America that was not devoid of friction. A similar attempt to rebuild the Middle East and Central Asia starting in 2004 after the War on Terror failed […]

Putin out of the fog of war?

It is always tough to tell what’s what in the fog of war, and it has been even more challenging to forecast the results in a conflict where one side, Ukraine, is badly outnumbered by the other, Russia. Comparisons on paper told one story: Ukraine, without a real army 15 months ago, would be steamrolled […]

Good health to you, Mr. Berlusconi… and to Italy

He was the idol of many men and women. He had it all—the money, the power, the girls, the friends. The money: He was one of the richest men in the world, coming from nothing. The power: He was the most potent Italian politician in two decades. He dominated national politics and its culture. He […]

Triangle impossible, India-China-US, and a different Silk Road

Russia’s failure in its invasion of Ukraine has weakened Moscow’s old ties with India, for decades a bedrock of Indian foreign relations, and brought to the fore the most complicated geopolitical puzzle of the “new Cold War” — between India, China, and the United States. New Delhi is shifting its position between the other two, […]