Analysis

Analysis offers a new angle on a contemporary or historical issue. These articles are policy-oriented and cover current developments around the globe that impinge upon American foreign policy and national security priorities.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Politics Over Economics

When international delegates to the Third Belt and Road Forum gather in October 2023, they might find the focus of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has shifted again. If that happens, it could prompt some to wonder anew...

Read more »

China Continues to Deepen its Political Influence in Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s recent visit to China and his meeting with President Xi Jinping heralded the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Georgia. Garibashvili called his visit historic. Moreover, he expressed Tbilisi’s willingness to deepen its relationship with Beijing and support all...

Read more »

The Eagle in the South Caucasus: Armenia Tests Alternative Geopolitical Waters

On September 11, US and Armenian troops kicked off the “Eagle Partner” joint military exercise at the Zar and Armavir training sites near Yerevan. The exercise is set to run for ten days and is relatively low-key, involving only...

Read more »

Central Africa’s Aging Leadership at a Crossroads

The coup in Gabon is a stark reminder across Central Africa that no leader is safe. President Ali Bongo Ondimba, an aging and sick president, has been ousted by the military with a great deal of popular support. General...

Read more »

Wagner’s Head is Dead, Now Bury the Body

Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead in a plane crash, alongside Wagner Group’s co-founder and operational commander, Dmitry Utkin. They leave behind a business empire and thousands of security contractors in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Kremlin has...

Read more »

Key US Intelligence Tool Set to Expire

At the end of this year, America’s most important intelligence tool is set to expire. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows the government to collect signals intelligence on foreign targets, even when that collection includes...

Read more »

Biden’s Bombs: The Dance of Ethics and Interests

On July 7, 2023, at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, operators carefully placed an M55 rocket filled with nerve agent onto a machine that drained and neutralized the deadly material. America destroyed its last chemical weapon—the final...

Read more »

The Taliban at the United Nations: An Unexpected Bid For Legitimacy?

When they reestablished control over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban claimed they would respect womens’ rights, trumpeting a newly-discovered moderation. Instead, they have constructed one of the world’s most repressive regimes: Afghan women are banned from attending high...

Read more »

Russian Disinformation in Africa: No Door on this Barn

In 2018, Yale scholar Timothy Snyder called Russian information operations in the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, “the most sophisticated propaganda campaign in the history of warfare.” Likewise, recent advances of Russian disinformation in Africa have resulted in some...

Read more »

Japan’s Security Engagement with the Philippines

In June 2023, Japan’s sent its largest coast guard patrol ship, the Akitsushima, to the Philippines. There, it participated in trilateral exercises with its Philippine and American counterparts for the first time. Four months earlier, Tokyo prepared what amounted...

Read more »