Tag Archives: US military policy

Even as China and Russia strategize to build an opposing pole of power, neither is immune to these truths. Both nations still crave positive relations with the United States. However, the window of US advantage to use its leverage is also closing. Therefore, it is imperative that the United States leverage its powerful alliances and global influence so that it negotiates effectively with both China and Russia to gain access to new markets and, more important, is not left out as a major...

Geopolitics and geostrategy.Russia InsiderWhy Jihadism Won’t Be Allowed to Die Pepe Escobar

Geopolitics and geostrategy on the grand chessboard. Trump’s recent decision to add troops in Afghanistan has nothing to do with combating terrorism (or mining mineral resources, or confusing militants as to when the U.S. military might finally leave), no matter what the endless stream of pundits and think-pieces have argued since it was announced. After 16 years of occupation the Taliban control 48 of nearly 400 administrative units, the Islamic State has established a foothold, the...

Feeling like a deer in the headlights yet? In what we believe is a significant escalation and potentially a hint as to the president's thinking, President Trump said during a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the US remains committed to defending its territories and allies using all "diplomatic, conventional and - here's the big one - nuclear - capabilities at our disposal."  This is the first time Trump has explicitly referenced possible involvement of nuclear...

Pakistani Foreign Minister says his country will work together with Russia and China in the light of the new US strategy for Afghanistan. Sputnik InternationalPakistan to Seek Consensus With Russia, China Over Trump's New South Asia PolicyChina Affirms Alliance with Pakistan After Trump Says Islamabad Abets Terrorists

As Sagan and Valentino note, the results speak for themselves. “The main conclusions of these survey experiments are clear,” they write. “The majority of the U.S. public has not internalized either a belief in the nuclear taboo or a strong noncombatant immunity norm. When faced with realistic scenarios in which they are forced to contemplate a trade-off between sacrificing a large number of U.S. troops in combat or deliberately killing even larger numbers of foreign noncombatants, the...