February 12, 2018
When Putin Invades the Baltics
Vladimir Putin is playing a vast chess game with NATO, and his next move will be to invade the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. When this happens, the United States will need to move armored forces quickly to Europe, via Poland, in order to prevent NATO from being checkmated, and it’s going to have a problem doing that. Note that I said “when” Putin invades rather than “if.” It’s clear that his grand strategy is to rebuild Russia’s empire of buffer states in an attempt to assuage his nation’s cultural paranoia regarding outside invaders.
It is equally clear, given his stated intention to seek another term, that he can afford to be patient.
Read the full article in The National Review.
More from CNAS
-
Experts Make Their Picks for Acquisition Reform Litmus Tests
Commentary
If the department cannot pass these easy tests, there is little reason to believe it will do well on the harder ones....
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
Trump Rues State of Iran Talks, Says Prefer Not to Strike
Video
President Donald Trump expressed displeasure with the current state of negotiations with Iran but stopped short of threatening fresh military action in the nine-week conflict ...
By Becca Wasser
-
Leveraging the Defense Innovation Ecosystem for Maximum Effect
Commentary
Introduction At a moment when the resilience of the wartime acquisition system is a national priority, start-ups, primes, investors, and the U.S. government must align to turn...
By Aaron Peterman & Sohaila Mali
-
Markets React as Trump Orders Military Action in Hormuz
Video
President Trump orders the U.S. military to target any boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions with Iran and sending oil prices sharply higher. Bloomber...
By Becca Wasser
