Pakistan-US Tensions: In Strategic Decline?

12/22/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/22/2011 - In addition to the immediate causes of the November 26 incident, there are deeper reasons for the elevated levels of tension that have degraded Pakistani-U.S. relations during the past few years. The two countries have regularly been allies…

Russia’s Arms Sales to India Under Threat

12/19/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/19/2011 - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh just left Moscow after meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin for the 12th Indo-Russian Summit. Much of the Russian-Indian discussions during Singh’s three-day visit concerned Russian weapons sales to India. For…

The ABM Treaty: Dead But Not Forgotten

12/15/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/14/2011 - Ten years ago this week, the United States gave the Russian Federation formal notice that Washington would withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. It was originally signed between the United States and the Soviet Union on May…

A Danish Perspective on the Challenge of Arctic Security

12/15/2011
12/15/2011 During the recent visit of Second Line of Defense to Denmark, SLD’s Robbin Laird and Hans Tino Hansen of Risk Intelligence sat down with Admiral Nils Wang, Commandant of the Royal Danish Defence College and former head of the Danish Navy to discuss the challenges of Arctic security.  SLD has…

Russia-US Relations: Hypotheses and Recommendations

12/12/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="90" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/12/2011 - Editor’s Note: Starting next year on the Second Line of Defense Forum (http://www.sldforum.com) we will start a series of pieces debating key decisions to be made after 2012 in the United States about foreign and defense policy.  We…

Russia Doubles Down on Assad

12/12/2011
    By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/08/2011 - While the possibility of foreign military intervention in Syria is small, it is growing. In this context, Russia’s considerable military, diplomatic, and economic ties with the Syrian regime weigh heavily on everyone’s minds. The Syrian Dynamic is a Major Fault Line for…

US Joins Russia in Suspending Adherence to Conventional Weapons Treaty

12/02/2011
[caption id="attachment_12920" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=" "][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 12/02/2011 - The United States announced recently that it would stop sharing data with Russia under the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. In announcing the decision, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland noted that Russia had suspended its participation in…

Putin Seeks Arctic Riches

11/27/2011
By Dr. Richard Weitz 11/27/2011 - Given the importance that Putin assigns to maintaining control of Russia’s energy resources, it is unsurprising that he has already outlined have ambitious goals to develop Arctic hydrocarbon resources in coming years. Geological experts believe that the Arctic holds more than 22% of the…