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Tag Archives: georgia
Preventing Ukraine From Spiraling Out of Control
The crisis in Ukraine continues to simmer, but thankfully has not yet boiled over. Here are some of the developments since I last wrote on this topic, followed by some thoughts on what is needed to minimize the risk of the conflict spiraling out of control. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged critical thinking, georgia, Georgian war, martin hellman, NATO, nuclear risk, putin, russia, stanford, ukraine, war and peace, William Hague
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Censorship in Russia?
The American mainstream media tends to give the impression that Russia under Putin is not that different from the good ole USSR. Having visited the Soviet Union a number of times prior to Gorbachev’s reforms and keeping abreast of the Russian press today, I know how false that picture is. Before censorship was lifted, the only honest political discussions I could have with my Russian friends was when no other Russians were present, and we were out of range of any possible, hidden microphones (e.g., in my hotel room). Compare that to an article in yesterday’s Moscow Times, which reads in part: Continue reading
The Risk of Humiliating Adversaries
While many factors propelled the rise of Hitler and Nazism, humiliating Germany at the end of World War I played a major role. Hitler even forced the French to surrender in the same railway car – in the exact same … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged fareed zakaria, georgia, henry kissinger, humiliation, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, nuclear weapons, Patrick Buchanan, putin, stanford
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Challenging Russia to Fight
House Speaker John Boehner is second in line for the presidency, after Vice President Biden. That highlights the danger of his recent speech that come dangerously close to challenging Russia to a fight. Boehner’s web site prefaces the speech by noting “In remarks at the Heritage Foundation today, Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) discussed the need to reassert American exceptionalism in the U.S.-Russia relationship.” Here are the key parts of what he had to say: Continue reading
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Tagged georgia, Georgian war, martin hellman, nuclear, nuclear deterrence, nuclear risk, nuclear war, nuclear weapons, risk, stanford
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Reigniting the Cold War
In a recent column, conservative columnist Patrick Buchanan wrote: Is the Senate trying to reignite the Cold War? If so, it is going about it the right way. Before departing for a five-week vacation, the Senate voted to declare Abkhazia … Continue reading
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Tagged Abkhazia, cold war, georgia, martin hellman, nuclear risk, Ossetia, Patrick Bucanan, SR 175
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President Palin Declares War on Russia!
OK, I know Sarah Palin is not president of the United States. And, even if she is elected, I’m not saying she would declare war on Russia. But, under conditions that are quite possible, that’s what she said she would do, so that headline is more serious than you might first imagine. Continue reading
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Tagged georgia, martin hellman, nuclear risk, nuclear war, russia, saakashvili, sarah palin, stanford, taiwan
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The Georgian War Revisited
Two years ago, war between Georgia and Russia took the world by surprise. It also created the danger that, if President Bush had stood by his earlier promises to Georgia, the world could have stared at the nuclear abyss in a way it had not since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. We did not have to be surprised because there were numerous early warning signs that, if recognized and acted upon, could not only have been foreseen the war, but also prevented it. Unfortunately, a similar lack of foresight is keeping us from seeing similar early warning signs today. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged georgia, Georgian war, nuclear deterrence, risk, russia, war
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Moving From Myth to Reality
The first step in defusing the nuclear threat may not be to ratify treaties reducing weapons or ending testing, but to move from myth to reality in our thinking about national security. Don’t get me wrong. The New START Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty are both important steps that I strongly support. But if, for example, Russia is a modern-day reincarnation of Nazi Germany, what good would those treaties do? As with Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 attempt to appease Hitler with Czechoslovakia, it would end in disaster. Continue reading
Defusing the Nuclear Threat 