(Stratfor)

As the country becomes more assertive, we add a new component to our long-standing assessment. Click here to continue reading…

Turkey and Ukraine Forge an Unlikely Alliance

March 14, 2016 | 09:17 GMT

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on March 9. Ukraine and Turkey are aligning against Russia. (ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Geopolitics often makes for strange bedfellows, and at times countries with little in common politically or culturally still form agreements and alliances that make strategic sense. This was exemplified last week, when Ukraine and Turkey signed a number of political, economic and military deals during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's visit to Ankara on March 8-9. Poroshenko noted that the key achievement of his visit was the strengthening of security and defense ties between the two countries, and he thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his commitment to supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity. Click here to continue reading…

To compete with the United States, Russia needs to modernize and refine its arsenal.Click here to continue reading…

A Mysterious Death in Washington

March 11, 2016 | 20:19 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Press Minister Mikhail Lesin shake hands. (kremlin.ru)

Controversy is brewing between the United States and Russia over the mysterious death of a one-time Kremlin heavyweight in Washington. Mikhail Lesin, Russia's former press minister, died in the U.S. capital in November 2015. At the time, Lesin's family reported that he had suffered a fatal heart attack. But on March 10, Washington's medical examiner and police department announced that Lesin was killed by blunt force injuries to his head, neck and upper and lower torso.

At this point, it is too soon to definitively label Lesin's death an assassination ordered by the Kremlin. However, with tension once again rising between the United States and Russia, it is possible that Moscow is seeking to remind Washington of its long reach while also silencing a defector. Click here to continue reading…

The Nuclear Arms Race Is Alive and Well

March 10, 2016 | 09:15 GMT

A Borei-class Russian submarine like the Alexander Nevsky (pictured) will be used to fire a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile in an upcoming test. (Mil.ru/Wikimedia Commons)

Russia is determined to maintain its nuclear deterrence against the United States. Its navy plans to test 16 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) in a single salvo from a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea soon, according to a source quoted in Russian daily Izvestia, though the source did not provide a date. Other Russian media agencies have reported that only two missiles would be tested. Launching 16 SLBMs would be notable; most tests launch only a single missile, maybe a handful at most. But it would also be risky and expensive. Regardless of how many missiles Russia launches, the point is the same: Moscow is brandishing its nuclear capability in response to U.S. advancements in anti-ballistic missile technology and nuclear modernization. Click here to continue reading…

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, the leader of Russia's most loyal ally in the Caucasus. (MAXIM SHIPENKOV/AFP/Getty Images)

New developments in the Caucasus suggest that subtle but important shifts may be happening in the region and with Russia's role there. Recent weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity from Moscow in the Caucasus, with Russian officials participating in negotiations over a wide variety of issues, including natural gas exports to Georgia, weapons sales to Armenia, and broader political and security ties with Azerbaijan. This accelerated diplomatic activity comes as other players such as Turkey and the West have begun more actively challenging Moscow's role in the region. Click here to continue reading…

North Korea: Seoul Introduces New Sanctions

Situation Reports

 MARCH 8, 2016 | 09:05 GMT 

 Print

 

 Text Size 

South Korea will sanction 40 individuals and 30 organizations as part of its unilateral punitive measures the North for its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, according to a March 8 government statement, Yonhap and AFP reported. Two of the individuals and six of the organizations targeted are in third countries, while the rest are in North Korea. South Koreans will be barred from engaging in financial dealings with those blacklisted. Seoul also said that it will ban the entrance of any ship that has also stopped at a North Korean port in the previous 180 days. The move follows the introduction of tougher U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang, but these new measures may not be any more easily enforceable than previous ones.