Press
Showing 21-40 of 135 Items
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Ukraine War Bleeds into Russia-U.S. Nuclear Talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared to tone down rhetoric threatening the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but experts say the loose talk, coupled with a breakdown...
By Jim Townsend
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NATO Faces New Challenge as Ukraine War Spills into Poland
Jim Townsend, US deputy assistant defence secretary for Europe and NATO under former President Barack Obama, welcomed NATO’s approach. “I think NATO did a great job of being v...
By Jim Townsend
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Russia’s Rebuke Neuters U.N. Push to End War in Ukraine
The two votes encapsulated the United Nations’ power as a global forum and the hard limits on its ability to truly influence 21st-century conflicts, especially those involving...
By Jim Townsend
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Russian Roadblock: U.N.’s Role in Ukraine Sharply Limited by Moscow’s Veto Power
Two weeks before the U.N. condemnation, the 15-member Security Council considered a more substantive, binding measure forcing Moscow to abandon its war in Ukraine. Russia, one...
By Jim Townsend
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Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter Dies at 68
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Carter was a key figure in the development of the U.S. initiative to disarm the nuclear arsenals of former Soviet states, helping c...
By Jim Townsend
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The Arctic Ice between Russia and the US Is Melting. What’s at Stake at the Top of the World?
Some Indigenous nations tell stories of the northern lights as torches guiding warriors to victory. Today experts say the Arctic is increasingly becoming a theatre of conflict...
By Jim Townsend
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A New NATO Heavyweight?
German and French rhetoric, which often harped on not humiliating Putin and avoiding escalation, has become more in line with Polish and American sentiment. Foreign Minister A...
By Jim Townsend
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Pipeline Sabotage Is Mystery, but Putin, Russia Are Prime Suspects
Experts say damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines is a cynical use of a “gray zone” aggression that leaves few good options for retribution. “We have war-gamed this...
By Jim Townsend
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Russia’s Stripped Its Western Borders to Feed the Fight in Ukraine
Two European defense officials estimated there could be as few as 6,000 of the original 30,000 Russian ground forces left in Kaliningrad and near the Baltic region. Although t...
By Jim Townsend
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Turkey-Greece Tensions Could Disrupt NATO Unity, Experts Warn
Deep-rooted friction brought Turkey and Greece almost to the point of war three times in the last 50 years. Analysts speaking to VOA say they don’t see a resolution any time s...
By Jim Townsend
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As he arms Ukraine, Biden readies new weapon pipelines for Eastern Europe
The administration did not provide details of what specific capabilities the money will go toward, but it’s likely officials are looking to bolster air defenses in NATO’s east...
By Jim Townsend
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Leader’s Legacy Mikhail Gorbachev ‘changed the world despite dying as a pariah in his own country,’ Us Expert Says
Gorbachev died on Tuesday at the age of 91 after a long illness, the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow said. Jim Townsend, an Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Center for a New A...
By Jim Townsend
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EU Mulls Military Training Mission for Ukraine
The potential training mission would also send a political signal to Russia that the EU is ramping up its support for Ukraine. "In Putin's mind, the EU has already shoved a m...
By Jim Townsend
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Russia and Iran Threats Put Missile Defense Back on the Agenda
In much of the West, Putin’s rhetoric on missile defense is dismissed as paranoia. According to Burns, “For many in Russia, especially in Putin’s orbit of security and intelli...
By Jim Townsend
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Russia Has Its Sights on Odesa
Western officials believe that Russia will likely begin another major offensive in Ukraine early next year, including a possible effort to advance on the blockaded strategic p...
By Jim Townsend
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NATO Summit: What New Weapons Have Been Pledged to Ukraine?
As NATO leaders met in Madrid this week, Ukraine demanded new heavy weapons to defeat Russia's invasion. Here's a look at what Ukraine says it needs and what other countries h...
By Jim Townsend
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Could Greek F-35 buy cause a flare up in US-Turkish relations?
The tables have turned for regional rivals Greece and Turkey in the realm of fighter jet acquisition plans, with Greece headed for a buy of the Lockheed Martin F-35 just three...
By Jim Townsend
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Ahead of NATO summit, alliance sets out plan to increase high-alert forces
According to a 2006 pledge by members of the alliance, every NATO country has to dedicate 2% of its GDP to defense. Jim Townsend, former US deputy assistant defense secretary ...
By Jim Townsend
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Russia’s military is now a ‘wounded bear.’ Can it revive itself?
Right now, there is a sense in the public that Russia’s conventional forces have proven to be a paper bear, defeated by Ukrainians armed with older equipment, and plagued by a...
By Jim Townsend
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As a new, uglier phase of fighting in Ukraine begins, Western countries are rushing to give Kyiv bigger, better weapons
Ukrainians have "proven that they're willing to fight and they're able to," said Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, "but I think...
By Jim Townsend