Nuclear Escalation
Escalation Without Nuclear War: What Will China Learn from Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive?
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has engaged in numerous instances of artillery, missile, and drone attacks and sabotage on the Russian homeland, including against Moscow. More...
A “Land-For-Land” Solution to the Ukraine War?
Beijing’s and other non-Western capitals’ calls for a ceasefire and negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv have acquired a new meaning after the Ukrainian occupation of western Russian lands. A Chinese...
Nuclear Arms Control Is For Realists
In 2023, Moscow suspended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), withdrew from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), de-ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT),...
Is North Korea Plotting a War?
Since the failure of the Hanoi Summit in February 2019, North Korea has provoked its neighbors and the world with frequent displays of military power. According to its own claims,...
A New Korean War Is Not Imminent. Accidental Escalation Might Be.
The security situation in the Korean peninsula is going from bad to worse. Bellicose words dominate over words of peace. Changes in military doctrine and posture have accompanied harsh verbal...
Things Get Ugly if Russia Pulls the Nuclear Trigger in Ukraine
Not long ago, one of my students asked: “So, if my phone tells me the Russians have used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, should I do anything different here?” In other...
Putin Doesn’t Need Nukes to Harm the West
After its withdrawal from Kherson, Russia’s back is against the wall in Ukraine. Ukraine’s successful offensive has prompted concerns that Russian president Vladimir Putin might contemplate what President Joe Biden deemed nuclear...
End the Ukraine War Before It Ends in Disaster
How will the war in Ukraine end? Senior Biden administration officials privately admit they believe neither Ukraine nor Russia is capable of winning the war outright. At the same time,...
Biden Wants to Know Why Putin Won’t Stop Talking About Nukes
Hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed on Thursday that he had no intention of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, President Joe Biden expressed skepticism and slammed Putin for what...
Russia and Ukraine Trade Accusations Over ‘Dirty Bomb’ Allegations
The Kremlin has stepped up its claims that Kyiv is planning a provocation involving the use of a “dirty bomb,” sparking fears among Western governments that Moscow is seeking a...
Nuclear Escalation Would Be Disastrous for Russia
Ukraine’s unexpectedly stout resistance to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression has contradicted many expert predictions and popular assumptions about Russian military performance and prowess. Faced with a protracted...
Is Biden Right About Nuclear Armageddon in Ukraine?
This month marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Historians agree that a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union was only averted by a...