Common Sense
Ukraine
Speculating on Russia’s Syria Drawdown
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today that his country would begin to withdraw its forces from Syria. Citing the serious degradation of “ISIS forces” and Russia’s interest in contributing to the ceasefire, Mr. Putin determined that the objectives of the intervention had been met. The withdrawal would not include forces protecting the Russian bases at […]
The Rights and Wrongs of Russia
“Can NATO deter Russia?”[1] “Can NATO face up to Russia task?”[2] “Stop Putin’s Next Invasion Before it Starts,”[3] and “Putin Wants to Destroy NATO.”[4] Those are the headlines that appear in the Western press and foreign policy literature. It seems a legitimate question: Russia went to war with Georgia in 2008, annexed Crimea and supported […]
The New Entente Cordiale: Russia’s Dangerous Idea
The Paris terrorist attack and the French “declaration of war”[1] against the Islamic State has been ably exploited by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the immediate aftermath of the slaughter in the French capital, the Kremlin finally acknowledged what was long known to Western intelligence agencies: the Metrojet flight from Sharm el Sheik was destroyed […]
The European Defense Fund: An Urgent Priority
A recent Brookings poll[1] shines light on the disturbing reality of continued erosion of support among Western Europeans for military commitments, even the mutual defense clause enshrined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty. In an survey comprising 11,000 respondents in 10 countries, participants were asked if their country should use military force to defend […]
Conspiracy Theory: Was John Kerry the Victim of an Assassination Attempt?
Let me begin by saying that here at Common Sense, I am not a believer in conspiracy theories. All history proves that in even relatively closed societies, conspiracies suffer from an inverse square law of revelation. That is to say that the probability of a conspiracy successfully being kept secret declines in an inverse square […]
Ukraine: What A Mess We’re Making
The hope that the Minsk Agreement would lead to a permanent ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine lasted as long as it took the artillery salvos around Debaltseve to land on their targets. The Russian-backed rebels were not about to leave that strategic enclave deep in “their” territory in the hands of government forces; nor was the […]
The Dangerous Hollowing of Europe
Recent incidents over the past two months have caused me considerable disquiet and should be a warning bell for anyone concerned about European relevance; perhaps even European survivability in an increasingly dangerous world. On the week of September 22nd, the German Luftwaffe was shown to have glaring deficiencies: the Defense Minister, Ursula Von der Leyden, […]
Putin’s New “Afgantsy”
Russian rights organization claims up to 15,000 Russian soldiers – three full brigades – are fighting in Ukraine. (1) The Union of the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers has declared that there are “thousands” of Russian troops unofficially in Ukraine, despite overt threats from military authorities to mind their own business. The Committee was formed in […]
Putin Lets the Other Shoe Drop
There are times I would prefer not to be proven right. Back in March I wrote: “There is a second danger zone in August, when European leaders are too busy with their holiday plans to worry much about foreign affairs. When this window closes at the beginning of September, Ukraine begins to see light at […]
Russia Turns South
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko cancelled a trip to Turkey and announced mandatory conscription as more Russian troops and vehicles crossed the border into Ukraine’s embattled province of Donetsk. Rather than heading straight towards the regional capital, these forces fired Grad rockets at the lightly armed border guards before turning towards Novoazovsk, the first town on […]
Common Sense
- Gun Violence: It’s About Handguns, Not Assault Rifles August 12, 2016
- Repeal FATCA August 3, 2016
- Did the US Abandon the New Syrian Army at Al Bukamal? July 14, 2016
- This is Not My America July 8, 2016
- Erdogan’s Apology: Cui Prodest? June 29, 2016
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