Tag: ukraine

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New era of statecraft, its successes, its failures.

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Russia foreign policy analyst Hanna Notte in “We Shall Outlast Them”, tells a story that has long been obscured: that the Kremlin is waging a war not only on Ukraine, but over global order. Blending critical analysis with reportage from over a dozen countries, Notte takes readers on a panoramic journey through this new era of statecraft, with its successes and its failures. From the comedy of Russia’s antics at the UN to the melodrama of the outrageous nuclear threats, Notte renders an astonishing portrait of a newly outwardly-facing Russia. With sensitivity and depth, she shows why the country enjoys … Continue reading New era of statecraft, its successes, its failures.

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Dangers ahead

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Acclaimed Historian and professor of the history of International realtions at the University of Cambridge, Brendan Simms, brings a sweeping study of the past, present and future of the Great Powers revealing changing new rules of global leadership. From the dawn of the modern era to the end of the Cold War, global history was defined by rivalries between Great Powers. In the West, this meant the struggle for supremacy in Europe and the Americas, while in the East, it encompassed those vying for control over the successor states to Genghis Khan’s empire. Between 1989 and the year 2000, Great … Continue reading Dangers ahead

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A New Cold War where everyday it grows hotter

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Artic cold war amid melting ice paving way for military led land-grabs for resources. Kenneth R Rosen, in Polar War reveals how climate change, military ambition, and economic opportunity are transforming the Arctic into the epicentre of a new cold war, where a struggle for dominance between the planet’s great powers heralds the next global conflict. “It has been previous administration’s policy that Greenland should be part of the United States” according to Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff on January 5. Since then the White House released a statement saying that  “the president and his team are … Continue reading A New Cold War where everyday it grows hotter

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Ultimate will power

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Today, Europe is fast changing, polarised world dominated by Chinese- American rivalry.  European Union despite its initial successes after the fall of the Berlin Wall, have failed to implement a strategy for success in the twenty-first century. Britain’s exit from the EU has weakened both sides and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown these shortcomings into sharp relief.  How should states across the continent position themselves in the decades to come? David Marsh investigates Europe’s present crisis, from a march of populism, Franco-German malaise and the breakdown of relations with Putin’s Russia. Fault lines are emerging in the monetary union, while the … Continue reading Ultimate will power

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Sanctions do they work?

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The story of Russia’s historic opening to the West (1992-2022), where it succeeded and why it has failed, the impact of war and sanctions, and the prospects for Russia’s future. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought a tragic close to a thirty-year period of history that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the reopening of Russia to the West after six decades of Soviet isolation. The opening lasted for three tumultuous decades and ended with a new closing, driven by the Ukrainian war, the imposition of Western sanctions, and the Russian responses to them. Thane Gustafson, … Continue reading Sanctions do they work?

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Challenging expectations

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Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google thinks why Britain has much more global influence than it thinks. Ever since the global financial crisis, Britain has been through a difficult period, leading many to conclude the country is doomed to inevitable decline. Jeremy Hunt was at the top of government as both Foreign Secretary and Chancellor, in the last two Tory governments, and he rebuts those who think Britain is no longer capable of shaping the world we live in. There is a real urgency, in that the UK’s need for growth and security through foreign policy is clear. Hunt writes … Continue reading Challenging expectations

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How a $300 gadget can do what $80million F-35 can’t

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Raj M Shah, a 27-year-old US Airforce Captain, on a patrol in 2006, was flying an F-16 fighter jet near Iraq’s border with Iran when he realised that he did not know which side of the border he was on, as he lost sense of direction.  That was a serious problem, entering Iranian airspace could cause an international incident, worse still he might be shot down. Although the $30million F-16 was among the world’s most advanced jets, its navigation system could not graphically pinpoint his location on a moving map. Shah back at base, figured out a simple hack, by … Continue reading How a $300 gadget can do what $80million F-35 can’t

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Look East to understand first world war

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 Nick Lloyd professor of modern warfare at King’s College, London, tells the story for the first time of what Winston Churchill once called the “unknown war”: the vast conflict in Eastern Europe and the Balkans that brought about the collapse of three empires. Although much has been written about the fighting in France and Belgium, The Eastern Front was no less bloody. Between 1914 and 1917, huge numbers of people- perhaps as many as 16 million soldiers and two million civilians were killed, wounded or maimed in enormous battles that sometimes range across a front of 100km in length.  Lloyd … Continue reading Look East to understand first world war