Defense / Homeland Security

NATO’s strategic ace: Vladimir Putin
NATO’s strategic ace: Vladimir Putin

Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Global Governance, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis

NATO’s strategic ace: Vladimir Putin

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was on the road to irrelevance. The most successful military alliance in history has lacked a real enemy since the Soviet Union disintegrated a quarter of a century ago. After a dozen years of war in Afghanistan, NATO’s role is coming to an ignominious end. Because of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s refusal to sign a Basic Security Agreement (BSA), NATO is now forced to plan for the withdraw of all of its military forces by the end of 2014. Without substantial coalition forces and, as important, the money and aid Afghanistan receives because of that presence, the Karzai government will be unable to prevent [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:20+02:00March 4th, 2014|Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Global Governance, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis|0 Comments

Geopolitics 101—Don’t lose wars!
Geopolitics 101—Don’t lose wars!

America, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Regions

Geopolitics 101—Don’t lose wars!

Prior to entering national office, politicians of all stripes and especially American presidents-elect and members of Congress should take a short course in Geopolitics 101. That course would have but two warnings: don’t start wars you can’t win and above all don’t lose wars. One would think that is common sense. But it is not. America’s wartime scorecard is not impressive with a singe exception. Along with allies, we won the big one---World War II. Korea was at best a draw. Vietnam, and let’s not forget that was a war of our choice, went to the other side. Grenada did not count. Afghanistan and Iraq have turned out badly so [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:21+02:00February 26th, 2014|America, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Regions|0 Comments

Geopolitics 101—Don’t re-invent the Russian bear and Chinese dragon
Geopolitics 101—Don’t re-invent the Russian bear and Chinese dragon

America, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., Issues, Regions, Studies and Analysis

Geopolitics 101—Don’t re-invent the Russian bear and Chinese dragon

Last week’s geopolitical guidance to politicians was don’t lose wars. This week’s advice is don’t re-invent Russian bears and Chinese dragons. Portraying Russia and China as potential or peer adversaries and threats goes back to the Soviet Union’s last leader Mikhail Gorbachev. “What are you going to do now that you no longer have an enemy?” he asked. In addition to hosting the most expensive Olympic Games in history, Vladimir Putin’s autocratic Russia has announced major increases in defense spending. The Old Soviet Fifth Eskadra that deployed to the Mediterranean during the Cold War was replaced with a new Russian Mediterranean force based in Tartus, Syria. Half a dozen or [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:21+02:00February 26th, 2014|America, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., Issues, Regions, Studies and Analysis|0 Comments

Michael Hayden
Michael Hayden

Alexandru Grumaz, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis

Michael Hayden

Evenimentele din 9/11 au produs schimbări dramatice în operațiunile militare și în cele de culegere a informațiilor pe ambele maluri ale Atlanticului. Lordul Roberson spunea: Lectia lui 9/11 trebuie învățată în fiecare zi deoarece ce s-a întâmplat atunci nu este doar o dată în calendar sau o linie pe o hartă este un avertisment dramatic că imprevizibilul și surpriza, într-o lume complexă, ambiguă și integrată, înseamnă un pericol pentru noi și pentru generațiile care urmează. Vorbim din ce în ce mai des de evenimente neprevăzute așa-numitele, în jargonul comunității de informații, black swan events: invazia sovietică în Cehoslovacia, invazia Argentinei în insulele Falklands, războiul de Yom Kippur și atacul lui [...]

By Alexandru Grumaz|2017-11-14T21:28:21+02:00February 25th, 2014|Alexandru Grumaz, Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis|0 Comments

Needed: a new NATO for the 21st Century
Needed: a new NATO for the 21st Century

Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

Needed: a new NATO for the 21st Century

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the annual Munich Security Conference. First focused on Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Cold War, several years ago the conference broadened its agenda to cover global security. That said, the future of NATO must remain among the West’s highest security priorities. For a number of reasons, that is not happening. The dissolution of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago removed the threat for which NATO was uniquely created. The alliance manfully began the transformation to a post-Cold War world. Since major threats now lay beyond NATO’s borders, the alliance expanded its reach. “Out of area [...]