War crimes trials: appropriate but problematic
The clamor for retributive justice makes outright military success over Russian forces even more essential. By David B. Kanin The documented atrocities being... Read More
Can the UN General Assembly act on Ukraine?
This food crisis suggests the need to establish secure transportation zones in Ukraine and the Black Sea to allow food to be gathered and transported.... Read More
Ukraine – towards a peace agreement, part #1
This essay sets out a process by which to initiate an agreement to bring Ukraine to peace, including considerations about a new federal constitution and... Read More
Ukraine: an essay on the economics of the refugee crisis
The Russian attack on Odessa will inevitably follow the encirclement of Nikolaev, which can be expected in the next few days. This will create a... Read More
If NATO cannot act, then individual EU countries should
It may be time for the EU – perhaps under its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) – or individual European countries to consider placing... Read More
An essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Part #5: preventing another genocide
NATO now needs to use its collective strength to defend Europe once more and to prevent Ukraine from being reduced to another slaughterhouse. Russian ground... Read More
The Ukraine crisis and Great Power rivalry in the Balkans
War or not, current tensions underscore the region’s geopolitical marginality. The outcome regarding Ukraine will suggest which great power is more likely to bend Balkan... Read More
An Essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, part #4: understanding Russian intentions
The Russian opinion is that the current chaos in Ukraine is jeopardising Ukraine’s status as a buffer state between East and West so imperative to... Read More
An essay on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (#3): why is the diplomacy failing?
To avoid messy partition, Zelensky must go. This can be done neatly and easily, through the good will and practicalities of diplomats of all kinds... Read More
An essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, part #2: domestic political manouverings
Russia’s principal problem with Ukraine is that Kyiv’s current political leadership is seeking to strike out in a direction independent from Moscow’s foreign policy, causing... Read More
Ukraine, Russia and the Kosovo precedent
The Western role should be to help Kiev make the best deal possible with Moscow while there may still be one to make: a federal... Read More
An Essay on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Part #1
Russia has amassed in the region of 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and equivalent armour. The intention is therefore clearly for a ground war.... Read More
Progress toward Ukraine, Donbas, Russia conflict resolution – serious negotiations still needed
Today, there is a need for dialogue, trust-building, and reconciliation within the country. The same issues as to what “self rule” means in practice is... Read More
Afghanistan and Russia – still searching for appropriate structures of governance
The Association of World Citizens remains concerned with the efforts to find appropriate forms of governance in Afghanistan. We are still far from a condition... Read More
Trump’s New Year’s gift to Putin, Rouhani, and Erdogan
Trump’s haphazard and thoughtless decision to withdraw forces from Syria points only to his abdication of the US’ moral responsibility, not to speak of its... Read More
American energy policy in the Middle East
In the medium term, the United States must diversify its reliance upon international oil markets. Energy independence was never a credible policy, because energy prices... Read More
Is a Ukrainian peace agreement possible?
The trigger events for a peace agreement for Ukraine may look rather different from those conventionally found in the armoury of the peacekeeper. The main... Read More
Detente redux – the USA, Russia and China in the modern world
The rationale for détente with Russia and China, then as now, derives from a change in American foreign policy philosophy. The drive to pursue a... Read More
Serbia, Turkey, and Russia – alarm bells for Europe
The European Union should warn Serbia that it must weigh its options carefully and undertake the necessary socio-political and economic reforms if it wants to... Read More
No defence in Chechnya – Oyub Titiyev and the grim future of human rights in Russia’s North Caucasus
The prosecution of a Chechen human rights campaigner is a landmark step in the systematic elimination of civil society under Ramzan Kadyrov.
Reset redux – how to coordinate US and Russian foreign relations
A brief contrast between US and Russian political histories and diplomatic philosophies enables us at least to trace the contours of a possible resolution, with... Read More
Europe in crisis – an agenda for peace
We no longer have the certainties of the Cold War, but we do maintain its dangers after an illusory period of apparent monopolistic security. Understanding... Read More
Questions and answers about some of the raging events in the Middle East
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, answers some questions concerning the turmoil in the Middle East and America’s... Read More
Close criminal case against Valentina Cherevatenko
As representatives of civil society, we are deeply concerned about the attempts by Russian authorities to prosecute Valentina Cherevatenko, one of the most prominent civil... Read More
The US and Russia
Russia and the US have a deep shared interest in their own and global security. They form, in effect, the Western and Eastern boundaries of... Read More
