Month: June 2022

Japanese Perspectives on the Ukraine War

Since February 2022, Japan has imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia, in coordination with allies in the G7, including the freezing of Russian assets and the expulsion of Russian diplomats stationed in Japan. As the first major war involving European great powers in this century, Japanese security analysts agree that the Ukraine War will… Read more »

Russian Experiment with De-modernization Yields Negative Results

The post-Soviet transformation took Russia from a fledgling democracy to a corrupt autocracy, but, since the start of the war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has taken a new turn, which amounts to a resolute top-down effort at reversing what progress has been achieved in modernizing the state system, economy and society. This experiment is unique… Read more »

The Ukraine War and the Fate of the Earth

The stories that are told about the Russian invasion of Ukraine – the interpretations that are advanced about what the war means and why it went the way it did – are going to play a decisive role in determining nothing less than the fate of the earth. The dominant story we hear today is… Read more »

Should We Abandon the UN Security Council as an Anchor for Women, Peace and Security? Personal Reflections from New York

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the UN Security Council’s death have been greatly exaggerated. That does not mean to say that the legitimacy crisis is not real nor that the long-term trajectory – escalated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine – might not be terminal. The consequences for states in weaker positions and… Read more »

How Can Russia Be Defeated but Not Humiliated

The problem of humiliating Russia too deeply, by ensuring its defeat in the war against Ukraine, is more serious than just an unfortunate turn of phrase by French President Emmanuel Macron. Last Thursday, Macron traveled to Kyiv together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and delivered… Read more »

War in Ukraine – Back to the 19th Century?

If nations are separated by national borders, the risk of civil war and interstate conflicts increases – as in the case of Ukraine. For this reason, Lars-​Erik Cederman believes that sanctions should also be designed to have a deterrent effect on other nationalists. For numerous observers in the West, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine came out… Read more »

Russian Elites Demonstrate Loyalty to Putin, but Are Preparing for Unruly Succession

The full-scale re-invasion of Ukraine, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, came as a shock for many groups within the Russian elite. They are still assessing the consequences of that autocratic decision and adapting to the fast-deteriorating political and economic environment. Meanwhile, Putin persists with rigidly confronting the West and apparently expects… Read more »

At the 100-Day Mark, Russian Offensive Crawls toward Eventual Defeat

Modern wars are decided, according to Russian military strategy, in the high-intensity initial period, and the multi-pronged offensive into Ukraine was indeed launched with the aim of achieving a decisive success in the first couple of weeks. As the war crossed the symbolic 100-day watershed last weekend, nothing resembling a victory was discernible on Russia’s… Read more »

Mass Shootings Are Mostly Committed by Men: How Might a Gender Lens Help Us Understand This?

Two recent mass shootings in the U.S. have once again drawn attention to its high rate of gun violence and mass shootings. The sheer number of guns in the U.S. and the ease by which they can be purchased are undoubtedly parts of the explanation. What those factors don’t explain is why almost all the… Read more »