
Image credit: SenadSS/Wikimedia/CC BY SA 4.0/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
December 01, 2022
Russia Is Weaker—but Is It Less Threatening?
Russia has suffered major setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine, its economy is battered by Western sanctions, and its diplomatic clout has suffered due to President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion. It is fair to say that Russia is militarily, economically, and geopolitically weaker than it was a year ago—and policymakers in Washington and Europe may be tempted to downgrade the Russian threat as a result.
But dismissing Russia would be a mistake, argue Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Michael Kofman in the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs. “Russian power and influence may be diminished, but that does not mean Russia will become dramatically less threatening,” they write. “Instead, some aspects of the threat are likely to worsen.”
Listen to the full interview from Foreign Affairs.
More from CNAS
-
European Integration’s New Geopolitical Momentum
Offering more tangible benefits of accession prior to full membership will both keep candidate countries motivated to continue reforms and allow for a more gradual adjustment ...
By Nicholas Lokker
-
The Outlook for Ukraine in 2023
In the latest installment of our “New Year” series, we take stock of where things stand in Ukraine as we head into 2023. Over the past couple of months, the lines of territori...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Michael Kofman & Lawrence D. Freedman
-
Germany Agrees to Send Leopard Tanks to Ukraine
Adjunct Senior Fellow Jeffrey Edmonds joins Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd to discuss Germany's decision to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Listen to the full interview from WBUR....
By Jeffrey Edmonds
-
Jim Townsend on Ukraine Russia Conflict & Military Aid from NATO via Tanks
Russia’s spring offensive could come out of Belarus, explains Jim Townsend, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO. Listen to the interview and more from...
By Jim Townsend