In The News

NATO’s Double Standards Make for a Hollow Alliance

Alexander Melikishvili January 26, 2009
NATO increasingly confronts an existential crisis, reflected by three mutually reinforcing trends – inconsistent and fast-paced enlargement policy, problematic internal cohesion and inadequate military spending. Researcher Alexander Melikishvili offers cases that point to the challenges NATO faces: The separate quests by Albania and Georgia for NATO admission reveal inconsistent admission...

Ukraine Says Russia Shuts Down All Gas Supplies to Europe

David Jolly January 7, 2009
Russia ranks first in the proven reserves of natural gas, and Europe relies on Russia for about 20 percent of its natural gas. But that supply is disrupted as the result of a dispute between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides pointing to the other as responsible for shutting down the pipelines that supply gas to Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy...

The Russian Challenge – Part II

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller October 6, 2008
For enduring success in this era of interdependence, negotiation rather than military power might prove more effective. Neighboring and competing states automatically flinch from those who employ bullying tactics, and long to follow countries that lead by example. This YaleGlobal series examines Russia’s relationship with Europe and the US, and in the second part of the series, former diplomat...

The Russian Challenge – Part I

Katinka Barysch October 3, 2008
The US and Europe increasingly seem at odds over an assertive Russia, flush with oil money, strong militarily and ambitious with an educated, nationalistic population. This two-part YaleGlobal series explores the implications for Europe, the US and the world. In the first of the series, Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the European Centre for Reform notes many common interests held by the US...

America and the World Into a New Era – Part III

Klaus Naumann September 8, 2008
The 21st century poses new dangers on many fronts for democratic nations – terrorism, organized crime, cyber warfar, nuclear proliferation and failing states. Those dangers divide rather than unite the 26 member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which includes European democracies, Canada and the US. In the final article of this three-part series on US relations with the world,...

America and the World Into a New Era – Part I

Bruce Stokes September 2, 2008
The US and Europe – firm allies throughout the 20th century – now differ on many issues, global security in particular. This YaleGlobal series analyzes the European-American relationship and points to areas of fracture. In the first article, journalist and author Bruce Stokes describes the world’s expectations for the next US president and cautions that regardless of who wins the post-Bush...

US and Poland Set Missile Deal

Thom Shanker August 15, 2008
After months of delays, the US and Poland quickly reached agreement on a US missile defense base in Poland: 10 interceptors against ballistic missiles will be based in Poland, relying on a tracking system based in the Czech Republic. Russia’s military support of separatists in Georgia gave speed to the agreement. “The deal reflected growing alarm in countries like Poland, once a conquered Soviet...