Putin’s Syrian Policy: “We need to Fight the Terrorists: There is No Alternative.”

11/07/2016
2016-11-07 By Richard Weitz At this writing, a Russian naval battle group is assembling in the East Mediterranean off Syria’s coast. It includes Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is now making its first combat mission following years of repair and modernization. The small carrier carries four Su-33…

Deploying Advanced Air Defense Systems as a Strategic Asset: The Russian Approach

11/05/2016
2016-11-05 By Garth McLennan The hell that is the Russian-backed siege of Aleppo in Syria has forced the administration of American President Barack Obama to contemplate options it otherwise wouldn’t. In early October, as the latest U.S.-driven effort at a real ceasefire in the country was falling apart, The Washington Post’s…

Russia Pluses Up Infrastructure in Syria

10/10/2016
2016-10-10 Russia has used its naval supply fleet to provide support to its Syrian intervention forces, notably for the Russian Air Force. The operation has demonstrated the important synergy between air power and naval support systems for their exercise of airp0wer. As a result, the Russians have decided to upgrade…

The Next Administration and China Policy: Why Reinforce the Dominance of Beijing in China?

10/02/2016
2016-10-02 By Danny Lam Ever since Marco Polo, China experts command a field of expertise that required extensive study of a tonal language and memorization of a complex set of characters.   These are sizable barriers that for centuries, fostered the establishment of and then institutionalization of a priesthood of experts…