Why Russians Support the War
CACI chairman S. Frederick Starr discusses the resurgence of Imperial Russia with the American Purpose magazine
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Publications
Information Warfare Watch No. 22
Digital authoritarianism and weaponized disinformation;
Israel's upgraded public diplomacy;
China, TikTok and cognitive warfare
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2584
Targeting the legal defenders;
Countering Wagner in Africa;
The real state of Russian industry;
Flashpoint: Zaporizhzhia
New Rules in Israel’s North
Between mid-March and mid-April, Israel's northern frontier experienced its worst spasm of instability in over a decade-and-a-half. On March 13, an armed extremist connected to Hezbollah infiltrated the country and blew up a car at the Megiddo junction, some 50 miles south of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Three weeks later, over the Passover holiday, the Hamas terrorist group launched a salvo of 36 rockets from Lebanese territory against towns and civilian populations in the western Galilee, wounding several and damaging local infrastructure. Two days after that, rockets were launched at Israel from Syria as well.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2583
Moscow digs in in Central Asia;
A Russian hand in pipeline blast, after all;
A reporter as political pawn;
Mounting international condemnation of Russia's war of choice;
The complicated case of Mikhail Fridman
China Reform Monitor No. 1550
Hong Kong eliminates most elected seats;
Scholz's push for China port deal triggers pushback;
China cracks down on foreign firms, cuts their access to info;
Facing a lack of recruits, China revises conscription law;
U.S. Seeks to "De-risk" its relationship with China: Sullivan
Resource Security Watch No. 49
China and Africa's critical minerals;
The environmental risks of the Ukraine war;
A scramble for the Arctic
Debt Limit Fiasco Aids U.S. Adversaries Around the Globe
Engaged in high-stakes political drama, Washington’s playmakers can forget that the world watches their every move—with our allies looking for leadership and growing concerned that we may no longer have the wherewithal to provide it, and our adversaries savoring our domestic turmoil.
China Reform Monitor No. 1549
Iran in talks with China to acquire sanctioned missile fuel;
China censors AI;
India's villages program in Arunachal Pradesh angers China;
China's tightening grip on foreign firms hits investment;
China's expands its anti-espionage law
Making Sense of Israel’s Judicial Reform Crisis
This state of affairs makes a collapse of the current ruling coalition a distinct possibility.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2582
Wagner games Sudan's civil crisis;
More military help from Tehran;
Moscow targets students for conscription...;
...Amid Kremlin worries over domestic effects;
Russifying Ukraine's regions
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán explores his options for new allies
As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, and Vladimir Putin’s strategic position erodes, his few remaining European allies are exploring their options.
The Russian Public’s Imperial Hangover
Even as their government prepares them for the shock of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, most Russians continue to endorse Putin’s imperial dream.
Israel’s deepening Iran dilemma
Biden wants to renew 2015 nuclear deal while Islamic Republic accelerates advances
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 230
Iran's growing boldness on the high seas...
...And in cyberspace;
The shadowy domestic organization beating back Iran's protests;
Congressional pressure on Biden's Iran policy builds
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 31
Biden, Yoon bolster American extended deterrence in South Korea;
Japan funds energy project on India’s strategic islands...;
...While Burma paves the way for Chinese planes;
Washington and Manila train to control critical waterway;
White House woos the Solomons, while Honiara delays elections
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2581
Gamers, the Kremlin's next target;
Assessing Russia's future warfighting potential;
Moscow seeks to manipulate German politics;
Russia's rich get richer
Africa Political Monitor No. 24
South Africa poised to deport thousands of Zimbabweans;
Zambia in trouble over Chinese debt;
Seeking press freedom in the Sahel;
Americans eye the exits as Sudan's civil war worsens;
Still hope for America in Africa
What Fuels The Growing Threat From Hezbollah?
Israel’s defensive advantage is deteriorating... Hezbollah’s growing menace is a concern not only for Israel, but for the United States as well. Yet so far, the Biden administration... hasn’t paid much attention to the Hezbollah threat.
The Next Space Race: A Blueprint for American Primacy
If China's space ambitions continue unchallenged, America will be seriously economically and militarily disadvantaged. This book provides a comprehensive strategy to secure U.S. primacy in the space domain.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2580
The Russian economy limps along... for now;
Russia is increasingly China's junior partner;
For the Kremlin, food is a weapon;
Compensating Ukraine for Crimea (after a fashion);
Moscow is hacking American munitions;
Russian energy for the Ayatollahs
China’s Space Ambitions
Assessing China’s space program is vital to understanding how investments in space add to a country’s comprehensive national power.
South Asia Strategy Monitor No. 7
The divisive hunt for an Indian separatist;
Pakistan seeks to protect Chinese residents;
Japan's new indo-pacific plan;
Lithium find a mixed blessing in contested Kashmir
Not Your Grandmother’s Disinformation
It’s time to restore the distinction between disinformation and plain old lying.
Israel needs to refocus abroad
“Never interfere with an enemy in the process of destroying himself,” Napoleon once said. That’s a lesson Jerusalem needs to learn quickly, and Washington needs to reinforce, as Israel’s regional challenges escalate while the Jewish state is splintering over an ill-timed debate on judicial reform.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2579
A carve-out for Tokyo on Russian crude;
The real possibility of a wider war;
Sanctions flip Russia's tech strategy on its head;
Moscow turns to E-summons;
Navalny's condition deteriorates further
Russia’s Independent Media Diaspora Needs Our Support
With the outbreak of the Ukraine war more than a year ago, Russia's already unfree media sphere has constricted precipitously. New regulations and constraints imposed by a Kremlin desperate to control the narrative about its "special military operation" have made independent journalism virtually impossible inside the country, and precipitated a mass exodus of journalists, producers, and opposition media figures to locations in Europe and beyond.
China Reform Monitor No. 1548
Xi abandons Japan's claim to Russian-held Isles;
Mexico asks China to stop fentanyl precursor exports;
China renames places along the disputed Indian border;
China delaying high-level meetings with the United Sates;
China appoints Shanghai Bishop, violating pact with the Vatican
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2578
Wagner fighters win their freedom;
Deepening Russo-Iranian economic ties;
The Chechens make contingency plans;
Russian arms trade with India impacted;
More grim evidence of military brutality...;
...And battlefield missteps
Courting a New Iran Deal — and Disaster
When it comes to negotiations with Iran, hope truly seems to spring eternal in Washington, D.C.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 103
Meet the new (Al-Qaeda) boss;
The Abraham accords and Morocco's Islamist opposition;
A crackdown on Islamists in India;
An ISIS media presence in Malaysia
China Reform Monitor No. 1547
Thousands of Chinese migrants coming to the U.S. on foot;
China's influence in Utah;
China spent $240 billion bailing out the BRI;
Huawei sees largest ever profit decline;
China plans massive floating solar plant in Zimbabwe
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2577
Not so quiet on the Eastern front;
Russia's deadbeat defense ministry;
Russia helps Iran deepen domestic repression;
A new draft by other means;
Putin's new foreign policy concept
China Reform Monitor No. 1546
China opposes u.s. military presence in north Philippines;
China, Cambodia hold first naval drills;
PRC firm wins Solomon Islands port project tender;
China criticizes U.S. plan to force Tiktok sale;
Less than 400 u.s. students in China
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2576
Russian in name only;
How Wagner is pressuring Europe;
Battening down the hatches;
Wagner targets Russia's schools;
Russia's legacy weapons become relevant again;
Domestic resistance to Putin ramps up
China Reform Monitor No. 1545
Taiwan charges ex-mp and former admiral with spying for China;
China to reopen to tourists, resume all visas;
Taiwan unveils new drones;
China's secret police stations target Canada's Chinese residents;
Trudeau orders probes into Chinese political interference
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2575
Coercing workers to come back;
Sparing the urban elites...;
...and conscripting the Tatars;
Seeking an "army with an ideology";
Paying for military progress
China Reform Monitor No. 1544
China helps Iran and Saudi Arabia resume ties;
China floats Pakistan a $2 billion loan;
Xi Jinping takes aim at the U.S.;
China's cities are trillions in debt;
China creates new data regulator
Promise and Peril in the Caucasus
It is in America’s interest to encourage Turkey’s emergence as a counterweight to Iran, and to nurture the growing alignment between Ankara, Baku and Jerusalem.
China Reform Monitor No. 1543
U.S. will send Taiwan $619 million in arms amid PLA pressure;
China building scores of coal power plants;
China launches satellites to compete with Starlink;
Local debt rings alarms;
Younger Chinese struggle to find employment
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2574
Solovyov advocates soviet tactics against Ukraine;
More men for Putin's war machine;
Russia prepares for Crimean counteroffensive;
Wagner's recruitment drive;
Russia's collapsing arms industry
Ukraine remains at heart of freedom’s future
“The global struggle for democracy approached a possible turning point in 2022,” Freedom House writes in its latest annual report on political rights and civil liberties around the world. “There were signs … that the world’s long freedom recession may be bottoming out, which would set the stage for a future recovery.”
Africa Political Monitor No. 23
Nigeria's election ignites further divide and doubt;
France rethinks Africa;
Uganda seeks nuclear status;
Mali's referendum delayed once more;
DRC violence prompts an exodus
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2573
Prigozhin's paramilitary outfit grooms a younger generation;
The key role of Russia's young, western-trained elites;
Wagner threatens to jeopardize Russia's war effort;
The high price of Bakhmut;
How Russians view protest and emigration
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2572
Russia looks to the levant for reinforcements;
Demographic decline and the Ukraine war;
Chinese purchases of Russian oil surge;
Debating the state of western business in Russia;
Sanctions erode Russia's surveillance capabilities
Defense Technology Monitor No. 86
China focuses on laser mitigation;
Talking to hypersonics;
The end of encryption?;
The problems with planetary defense;
A reusable interceptor for hypersonics?
South Asia Strategy Monitor No. 6
Afghanistan's neighbors organize;
India invests in Arunachal Pradesh;
Amid coalition crisis, Nepal elects third president;
India, Australia aim to boost ties
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2571
Russia flouts oil price cap;
Russia threatens Ukrainian food exports... Again;
Moscow blames Washington for Ukrainian strikes;
Shielding the enablers of Russia's military;
How the intelligence community sees Russia
Africa Political Monitor No. 22
Africa's deepening debt crisis;
Eritrean troops dig in, despite the peace;
Sudan, Chad strengthening alliance to secure their borders;
Russia seeks to fill a vacuum in West Africa;
UN seeks political progress in Libya
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2570
Moscow passes on China's peace plan;
Russia's dwindling drone stocks;
Russian banks put on a brave face...
...But oligarchs say different;
Wagner head ramps up the war of words;
Russia turns off the tap;
A symbol reopens