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Analysis
Overcoming the Wrong Détente
President Donald Trump enters office facing a variety of foreign policy challenges. One of his largest and most consequential will be dealing with a resurgent and increasingly unpredictable Russia. Since the end of the Cold War, each new American presidential administration has sought to improve relations with Moscow – the last attempt being President Barack Obama’s “reset.” Trump, however, seems a bit too keen to follow this pattern, straying beyond diplomatic pleasantries to praise Vladimir Putin directly and vowing to “make some good deals” with him. In doing so, Trump runs the risk of both forgoing vital consultations with stalwart allies and partners in Europe and failing to grasp the danger that Russia poses to European and international security.
Analysis
Why Mattis Headed East: Time For China Strategy
Why is newly confirmed Defense Secretary Jim Mattis making his first overseas trip to the Western Pacific to confer with two of America’s key allies, Japan and South Korea?
Analysis
Trump’s Grand Strategic Train Wreck
Believe it or not, President Donald Trump has a grand strategy. According to some analysts, Trump’s endless streams of erratic and apparently improvisational ideas don’t add up to anything consistent or purposeful enough to call a grand strategy. We see it otherwise. Beneath all the rants, tweets, and noise there is actually a discernible pattern of thought — a Trumpian view of the world that goes back decades. Trump has put forward a clear vision to guide his administration’s foreign policy — albeit a dark and highly troubling one, riddled with tensions and vexing dilemmas.
Analysis
Thoughts on the McCain White Paper
The Trump Administration began work this week on its promise of an across-the-board enlargement of the U.S. military. The President-elect has thus far described his plan only in the broadest of terms, but those terms portend a sustained period of higher defense spending—something Congress has been unwilling to approve since it passed the Budget Control Act (BCA) in 2011. Chief among those who will shape the future of the American military is Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who waded into the debate last week with a strong, coherent outline that not only aims to restore the capacity of a significantly hollowed-out force, but also provides direction for how the force should evolve as it grows. There is a lot in this report, but we will restrict our comments to the larger context of the plan and its impact on American Seapower.
Analysis
Preserving the Balance: A U.S. Eurasia Defense Strategy
Now more than ever, the United States needs to formulate an effective defense strategy to preserve U.S. interests in a strategic environment characterized by looming international and domestic challenges.
Analysis
“Peace Through Strength” Or “Peace For Our Time?” The Dangers Of Trump’s Pursuit Of Putin
It now seems obvious, if it wasn’t already, that Donald Trump is determined to pursue a policy of early and eager engagement with Russia. The signs are legion: the ongoing bromance with Vladimir Putin during the campaign, the appalling indifference to Russian meddling in the U.S. election, the proposal to condone Russia’s brutal military tactics and pursue counter-terrorism cooperation in Syria and perhaps elsewhere, and the forewarning that sanctions against Moscow may not be long for this world.