The 1987 ban on intermediate-range missiles, from Russia’s first complaints in 2007 through the new cruise missile, Iskanders in Kaliningrad and the US withdrawal, to Oreshnik in Belarus.
Russian officials have again questioned the future of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty or just INF. In March 2005, Jeffrey blogged about a feeler from Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to then-SECDEF Rumsfeld about possible Russian withdrawal from the INF…
I’ve been meaning to write something about the back-and-forth over claims that Russia is violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, but just haven’t had time. My colleague, Nikolai Sokov, has sent along his thoughts on the issue. I hope…
What should we make of the United States’ conclusion that Russia has violated the INF? What do we know about the violation? What is the substance of the State Department’s arms control compliance report finding? What do we know about…
The INF debate continues. The controversy about Russia’s new cruise missile raises a number of key questions about American strategy in Europe: How should the United States respond to Russia’s INF violation? What are the security implications of a new…
I was discussing reports of a new Russian sea-launched cruise missile with my colleague, Nikolai Sokov. He has a number of thoughts about what is going on, so I was delighted when he offered to write them up. There are…
There have been two Russian cruise missiles in the news lately. One is a ground-launched cruise missile that apparently violates the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the other is a sea-launched cruise missile that Russia recently fired against targets…
Last week, Geoff Brumfiel at NPR wrote a story about my research, with Veli-Pekka Kivimäki, showing that Russia was now deploying the Iskander missile system to Kaliningrad. This is the longer analysis that outlines the evidence that Russia is putting the…
Quote of the Week: “I don’t think even the surreptitious and very disagreeable deployment of a hundred SS-20s would have a very significant military effect. I think the SS-20s, in my judgment, in fact, is not a terribly useful military…
Quote of the week: “Wake the damn Bambino. I’ll drill him in the ass.” — Attributed to Pedro Martinez, 2004, the year when the Red Sox broke the curse of not winning a World Series after trading Babe Ruth to…
Lyric of the week: I wrest the waters, fight Neptune’s waters Sail through the sorrows of life’s marauders Unrepenting, often empty Sail on, sail on sailor — Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, “Sail On Sailor” The Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty…
Quip of the week: “Who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” — line by Chico Marx in “Duck Soup” Two former Soviet experts who played key roles in Cold War arms control negotiations, Aleksandr’ G. Savel’yev and Nikolay…
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that “The relocation of the Oreshnik system to the territory of Belarus is nearing completion. We understand where it will be deployed.” But Zelenskyy didn’t share the location! Jon Landay at…
