Deep-Six the Notion of a “Deep State”

by Paul R. Pillar Different interests, at different times and for different purposes, have promoted the idea of a “deep state” in the United States that supposedly affects American politics and policy.  That notion does not correspond to reality, it… Continue Reading

Trump’s Muddled Russia Policy

by Hannah Gais Donald Trump has a Russia problem. Lying about ties to or conversations with Russian officials has dogged the Trump administration from the get go. First, former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn bit the dust after… Continue Reading

Vitaly Churkin: The Consummate Professional

by Robert E. Hunter The death at age 64 of the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, calls for a moment of reflection about the course Russia has taken since the Soviet Union’s collapse. US officials and the… Continue Reading

Targeting Iran’s Regime Will Strengthen, Not Break, the Moscow-Tehran Alliance

by Mark N. Katz In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published on February 13, hawkish scholar Michael Ledeen argued that “dismantling the Khamenei regime as peacefully as possible” is the best way to end what he describes as the Russian-Iranian… Continue Reading