by Mark N. Katz President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have made clear that they have a more positive view of each other than either has of outgoing President Barack Obama. Russian-American relations soured considerably during the Obama… Continue Reading
by Mark N. Katz Some initially expected that the shocking assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey by an off-duty Turkish policeman would have soured Russian-Turkish relations. If anything, though, this episode appears to be drawing Moscow and Ankara even… Continue Reading
by Mark N. Katz On October 3, the State Department announced the suspension of U.S. efforts to work with Russia to bring about a ceasefire in Syria. This is in sharp contrast to just a few weeks ago in September when… Continue Reading
by Mark N. Katz Just one week after Russian bombers began flying missions over Syria out of an Iranian air base in Hamadan, Tehran has revoked its permission for Moscow to use the base. These missions never would have begun… Continue Reading
by Mark N. Katz In a highly dramatic development, Russian bombers have begun using an Iranian base for bombing missions over Syria. Why Moscow would want to do this is clear: flight time to Syria is much shorter from northwestern Iran… Continue Reading