Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for rebel forces in Eastern Ukraine have precipitated a dramatic fracture in relations between between Russia and the West. In response, a broad Western economic sanctions regime has bitten into the Russian economy, and the United States has sought to shore up support among Eastern European and Baltic states. The annexation and response represent a major test-case for international governance, principles of sovereignty and the reliability of the American security umbrella, particularly NATO.
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President Biden warned Vladimir Putin that the U.S. will take “necessary action” if Russia does not disrupt ransomware attacks from its soil. The problem with this warning is that the U.S. has been pledging to impose “consequences” on Russia for its cyber actions for at least five years.
A bilateral agreement on cyberattacks against financial integrity would be an important first step that could help build confidence to make progress on other, more challenging areas. Yet, even for this issue, there are opportunities to make progress if expert consultations begin with a more narrowly defined policy problem.
President Biden has established fighting corruption as a "core national security interest" and instructed his Cabinet to recommend a new whole-of-government strategy to do so. To form such a strategy, the Biden administration will be required to assess the nature and size of the threat of weaponized corruption.
The Associated Press reported that the Russian military claimed one of its warships had fired warning shots in front of the HMS Defender after the British destroyer ignored a warning that it would be fired upon if it entered the Russian-claimed territorial sea off the Crimean Peninsula.
From the perspective of international law, it is difficult to overstate the seriousness of Belarus’ actions.
The latest troop buildup along Ukraine’s border has renewed a debate about Ukrainian security that has persisted since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
As Russia escalates its efforts to destabilize Ukraine, it has increased tensions and put the region on heightened alert by illegally closing portions of the Black Sea to all foreign warships and other state vessels.
Given the wide range of strategic and tactical benefits for Russia, a cyber operation with SolarWinds’ scale and sophistication should never be understood as “just espionage.”
Common interests and shared values are necessary for durable bilateral relations—and the United States shares neither with Russia.
The Wagner Group has been accused of torture and murder and has repeatedly found itself on the receiving end of U.S. sanctions. Both international and domestic laws put relatively few constraints on its operations.