Murder, harassment, and blame lead to heightened tensions in Ukraine

On Aug. 31 Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in a blast in a café in Donetsk, Ukraine, where he was meeting with other members of the self-proclaimed government of the Donetsk Republic. Everyone seems to be blaming everyone else for the incident. No one is taking responsibility.  Yet every side has a reason to accuse others. Russian […]

America’s $2.8 trillion war with no end in sight

According to a recent Stimson Center study, America’s Global War on Terror has cost the taxpayer about $2.8 trillion since 2002. This, of course, does not even begin to factor in the very real human costs. These come in the form of American soldiers and contractors killed and wounded overseas. These costs also come in […]

UN investigation: Syria has gassed its people dozens of times since 2013

Using his executive authority, President Donald Trump had twice ordered retaliatory strikes against Syrian government targets after over the use of chemical weapons.  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has numerous times authorized the gassing of rebels and civilians fighting in the nation’s ongoing Civil War. In both instances, Russia released statements claiming that the chemical attacks were […]

Opinion: The media is unintentionally bolstering the Russian narrative

In the past month, Russia’s long-range nuclear bombers, alongside some of their most capable fighters, have made two flights through Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone. In both instances, America’s most capable fighters, F-22 Raptors, were scrambled to intercept, ensuring the Russian aircraft wouldn’t have the opportunity to enter American airspace even if they had intended […]

US Navy pilot awarded medal for shooting down Syrian fighter jet

Last year, Lt. Cmdr. Mike “MOB” Tremel became the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft in nearly twenty years, when he was forced to engage a Syrian flagged Su-22 that was dropping unguided bombs in the vicinity of American partnered Syrian Democratic Forces. This week, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross […]

Russia accused of space espionage

Paris, France—The French government has accused Russia of space espionage. According to the French Defence Ministry, in 2017 a Russian satellite attempted to steal classified telecommunication information from a joint Franko-Italian satellite. The Russian Louch-Olymp spacecraft, a relay satellite responsible for transmitting imagery and telecommunication information to the earth, approached dangerously close to the Franko-Italian […]

The Pic of the Day: Leaders from Iran, Russia, and NATO ally Turkey meet

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, centre, flanked by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, left, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pose for photographs in Tehran, Iran, ahead of their summit to discuss Syria, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. The three leaders began a meeting to discuss the war in Syria.   Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool   […]

Russia smiles as the EU debates its energy future

Brussels, Belgium—The European Union persists in its effort to reach an agreement with Russia over the construction of an underwater gas pipeline. The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has been trying to cajole member-states to keep the expansion of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline on the table despite concerns over EU’s increasing energy […]