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
-
‘U.S. Military Leverage a Risky Tactic’: Bombs, Military Escalation Will Not Bring Iran ‘To the Table’
Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Jim Townsend, Adjunct Senior Fellow in the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for E...
By Jim Townsend
-
Orban Out: The Impact on European Politics, Ukraine, and Democracy
On April 12, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat in the country’s general elections, which ousted his party Fidesz and ended his rule of 16 years. The electi...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
European Perspectives on the U.S.-Iran Conflict
On April 7, after more than five weeks of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 14-day ceasefire, provided Iran allows passage through the St...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Jim Townsend
-
War in the Middle East: The U.S. Rescues Missing Airman from Iran
Jim Townsend, Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security joins France24 t...
By Jim Townsend