Diplomacy & Politics Archive

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of Richard Weitz’s “Strategic Posture Review: Russia,” published in February 2009. In light of the imminent return of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency, it is worth revisiting the mixed legacy of his previous eight years in that office and highlighting the significant changes in the regional and global environment that have impacted Russia’s foreign and defense policies in the four years since he left it. Upon assuming office on May 7, 2000, Putin began a major campaign to restore the authority of the Russian presidency, which had waned under the […]

A recently filed legal petition claiming that the United Nations acted negligently and recklessly in Haiti is raising difficult questions about U.N. accountability — and its legal immunity. The petition (.pdf), submitted Nov. 3, is already raising the possibility that a legally mandated, but rarely implemented, judicial procedure for civilians living in countries with U.N. peacekeeping missions will be enforced. As a result, the petition’s implications go far beyond the particulars of the Haiti case, in which more than 5,000 Haitians argue that the U.N. has so far failed to provide them with a means of remedy after cholera was […]

One of the most striking aspects of Turkey’s transformation in recent years came in its innovative approach to foreign relations. Ankara’s policy of “zero problems” with its neighbors not only had a catchy name and a low cost of implementation, it also seemed to work — but only for a brief time. Despite its initial promise, the idea of getting along with everyone in a complicated part of the world proved unworkable. Now, with that formula discredited and discarded, Ankara is busy looking for a new policy framework — a new overarching strategy to maximize influence in a time of […]

Over the past decade, Russia’s resurgence has led to conflict and reset with the U.S. and a muscular, energy-based reassertion of influence in Eurasia and beyond. But Moscow’s efforts to regain its tarnished superpower status are threatened by fundamental weaknesses that could undermine its ambitions. This WPR report examines Russia, between ambition and reality. Below are links to each article in this special report, which subscribers can read in full. Not a subscriber? Purchase this document for Kindle or as a PDF from Scribd. Or subscribe now. Strategic Vision Strategic Posture Review: RussiaRichard Weitz November 30, 2011 Re-Examining Russia’s Putin-Medvedev […]