These pieces are produced by members of the IWP community, conveying perspectives on foreign policy, national security, intelligence, and other related issues. Please note that the views expressed by our faculty, research fellows, students, alumni, and guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.
Concepts of World Politics
All the “Social Sciences” have certain “concepts” that identify, clarify, or define their social/political boundaries and separate them from their competitors. The world of sociology, for example, will use concepts such as race, tribe, nation, etc. that dominate its own field; economics and political science do the same, etc. This doesn’t mean that the various…
Read More from Concepts of World Politics ›A Future US Defense Program in an Era of Great Power Competition
The Great Power Competition requires a new defense posture that adapts to the exigencies of the Russia-Ukraine war and the rise of China. A successful defense posture will necessarily require a reexamination of US defense strategy, and, importantly, the level of resources devoted by the US and its allies to national defense. Read the full…
Read More from A Future US Defense Program in an Era of Great Power Competition ›Tanks Will Help Ukraine, So Would Clear Policy from Biden
The Ukrainians do not expect American and other NATO troops to die for them. They fight bravely on their own even with outdated equipment. Early on in the war, the Ukrainian ancient T-64 tanks routed Russia’s famous 1st Guards Armored Army twice. By now, however, Ukraine has amassed quite an armored force: in reality and in pledges. Most NATO countries have contributed, the Americans and…
Read More from Tanks Will Help Ukraine, So Would Clear Policy from Biden ›No World War III. Check.
The problem is that Putin may have other requirements on his checklist. If the Biden administration is engaged in postwar planning for Ukraine, it might want to consider how to get postwar first. Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave his views on the endgame in Ukraine and what should happen after. He emphasized a key…
Read More from No World War III. Check. ›Qin Gang, Song Tao and ‘Special Agent Diplomacy’
In 1988, young Comrade Qin Gang (秦剛) did not graduate from the China Foreign Affairs University (外交學院), China’s training academy for diplomats. He never attended the Institute. Instead, he graduated from Beijing’s “University of International Relations” (國際關係學院) which, as I recall from early in my diplomatic career, was a campus well-known for its affiliation with…
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The President, not Congress, Should Lead the Defense Reset
The passage of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last month offers an opportunity to reassess the future of the U.S. defense program in the context of how the U.S. should plan, program, and budget for defense throughout the period of the Great Power Competition. The willingness of Congress, for a second…
Read More from The President, not Congress, Should Lead the Defense Reset ›Is Salt Driving Russia’s Conquest of Bakhmut?
This article was written by M.A. candidate Grant Turner. For months, experts have been wondering why Russia is determined to capture Bakhmut and its surrounding territory, in spite of a staggering death toll and loss of resources. From March through early September, it made strategic sense to attack the key supply routes around the city…
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The Road to War
In effect, the U.S. is at war with Russia now and has been since the first shipment of aid to Ukraine arrived. There is no military action between the two, no declaration of war, but effectively we are with one side in a war. This has a number of historic precedents, and we should learn…
Read More from The Road to War ›Moscow’s Strategy in Ukraine Puts Russian Soldiers Through Putin’s Meat Grinder
According to reports from the front lines in Bakhmut, Russia is losing a significant number of troops to take the strategically insignificant Ukrainian city. Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin says everything is going according to plan. Unfortunately, he may be right. Read the full article at American Spectator
Read More from Moscow’s Strategy in Ukraine Puts Russian Soldiers Through Putin’s Meat Grinder ›In the Long Run, Few Can Sustain Cost of War
President Joe Biden may not have a coherent strategy in Ukraine, but he sure keeps the arms coming. Same goes for other aid: altogether at the cost to the taxpayer of approximately $25 billion, and, in addition, as much in humanitarian aid, making us the single greatest contributor to Kiyv’s fight for independence. Read the full article…
Read More from In the Long Run, Few Can Sustain Cost of War ›