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The Quest For Influence: Examining Russia's Public Diplomacy Mechanisms In Africa, Isaac Antwiboasiako

Articles

This article examines Russian public diplomacy mechanisms in Africa. These include the intentional use of historical ties, various aid programmes in education and health, the targeted use of international broadcasting and digital media, and the exploitation of anti-Western sentiments on the continent. Russia employs these to win the hearts and minds of African publics for its national interest. The article first explores Moscow’s public diplomacy in general and analyses the challenges Russia faces in Africa, which has become a ‘dumping ground’ for public diplomacy campaigns by the US, the EU and its members, the UK, and China. The article argues …

Russia’S Twenty-First-Century Naval Strategy—Combining Admiral Gorshkov With The Jeune École, Johannes Riber Royal Danish Navy

Naval War College Review

Both France after the Franco-Prussian War and post-Soviet Russia found themselves squeezed in multipolar worlds, with poor economies and loss of industrial power. Alongside Admiral Gorshkov’s continuing influence, modern Russian naval thinking has evolved toward an emphasis on smaller surface units with advanced capabilities—similar to the Jeune École concept—with implications for Western naval planning.

U.S. Maritime Strategy In The Arctic—Past, Present, And Future, James G. Foggo Iii, Rachael Gosnell

Naval War College Review

Warming waters and melting sea ice will create new challenges off our northern shores, and the Navy and Marine Corps must be prepared to provide a presence in the Arctic that will ensure peace and prosperity in the face of aggressive Russian militarization and expanding Chinese interest. Lessons from America’s Arctic past can illuminate what needs to be done.

Thither The Russian Navy? Putin’S Navalization In A Historical Context, William Emerson Bunn

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The Syrian operation of 2012 was the first successful employment by Russia of expeditionary warfare, narrowly defined as naval support to Russian (or Soviet) ground forces in a war away from their periphery (i.e., in a country that does not border them), from the sea. This was brought about in part by the development of two types of cruise missiles: advanced anti-ship missiles (which protects their expeditionary force from NATO naval units, enabling local sea control) and new land attack cruise missiles (similar in design and capability to the U.S. Tomahawk). In the past geographical, technological and political constraints …

Crisis Communication In The Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Use Of Facebook By Un Humanitarian Organizations, Rubaiya Zannat

Master's Theses

The proliferation of social media has made it incredibly simple to quickly disseminate valuable information to a large audience. Thus, numerous organizations are now heavily leveraging these social networking platforms as a means for managing their crisis responses. Through a content analysis of 355 posts concerning the Ukraine-Russia conflict made by five large UN humanitarian organizations between February and May, 2022, on their official Facebook pages, this study investigated organizational crisis communication patterns. Findings suggest that UN humanitarian organizations extensively used "threat" and "need for change" as crisis characteristics to delineate the Ukraine-Russia situation, whereas “protection of safety and security,” …

What Ukraine Taught Nato About Hybrid Warfare, Sarah J. Lohmann, Chuck Benson, Vytautas Butrimas, Georgios Giannoulis, Gabriel Raicu, Michael Bervell, Milagro Castilleja, Chris Clyde, Christopher J. Eaton, Alex Elmore, Ryan Fisk, Erin Hodges, Frank J. Kuzminski, Vishwa Padigepati, Caitlin Quirk, Brenton M. Riddle, Shuo Zhang, Lucas Cox, Samira Oakes

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced the United States and its NATO partners to be confronted with the impact of hybrid warfare far beyond the battlefield. Targeting Europe’s energy security, Russia’s malign influence campaigns and malicious cyber intrusions are affecting global gas prices, driving up food costs, disrupting supply chains and grids, and testing US and Allied military mobility. This study examines how hybrid warfare is being used by NATO’s adversaries, what vulnerabilities in energy security exist across the Alliance, and what mitigation strategies are available to the member states.

Cyberattacks targeting the renewable energy landscape during Europe’s green …

Anti-Satellite Tests: A Risk To The Security And Sustainability Of Outer Space, Mckayla Swan

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

In November of 2021, The Russian Federation conducted an anti-satellite test (ASAT), destroying one of their defunct satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). This test, although not the first of its kind, created thousands of pieces of new space debris, threatening LEO satellites and the International Space Station (ISS). Russia’s test has resurfaced discussions on the militarization of space and its long-term sustainability. Absent legally binding multilateral agreements aimed at long-term peace and sustainability in space, the area will continue to develop in a hazardous direction. Therefore, The United States should initiate a multilateral treaty to develop a partial ban …

Parameters Autumn 2022, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Coercing Fluently: The Grammar Of Coercion In The Twenty-First Century, C. Anthony Pfaff

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

To illustrate the logic and grammar of coercion, this analysis relies on decision-theory methods, such as game theory, that examine the strategic decision-making process in interactions with adversaries and partners. The intent here is not to offer predictive models of rational-actor behavior. Rather, the intent is to use game-theory and similar approaches to understand how coercion works better. This analysis considers competitive interactions between actors that have discrete and qualifiable, if not quantifiable, preferences and who behave rationally, though this analysis acknowledges the behavior that is considered rational is frequently informed by nonrational social, cultural, and psychological factors. Considering these …

Countering China’S “Trident” Strategy—Frustrating China’S Aims In The East And South China Seas And The Indian Ocean, Kohji Kuhara

Naval War College Review

China is trying to construct a naval strategy to deny U.S. forces freedom of action in the western Pacific Ocean. Looking back to the U.S. Navy’s last major strategic contest, against the Soviet navy during the Cold War, provides comparisons between Soviet and Chinese strategies that yield insights and analogies that can help develop more effective countermeasures against undesirable Chinese initiatives.

Weapons Of Mass Migration In The 21st Century: Russia, Belarus, And The European Union, Kia Imazu Fatahi Faz Abad

Senior Theses

In recent years, a debate has arisen about a controversial method of warfare – refugees and migrants who are exploited in multi-dimensional conflicts and humanitarian crises by state actors. The notion of ‘weapons of mass migration’, or a deliberate use of refugees and migrants as leverage against other nation-states, became one of the most prominent yet underappreciated theories in academic literature. But who actually availed themselves of the “weapons of mass migration” during the European migrant crisis, and how does migration fit into the realm of international relations today? My thesis aims to provide a detailed examination of the alleged …

Srad Director's Corner: Russia’S Strategy And Its War On Ukraine, George Shatzer

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

In this contribution, Colonel George Shatzer, director of the Strategy Research and Analysis Department of the Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College, discusses books of relevance to US Joint planners and strategists, as well as those of allies and strategic partners. He applies his experience and education as a US Army senior strategist to extract insights useful to anyone contemplating how to confront the challenges of today’s strategic environment.

Parameters Summer 2022, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Economic Statecraft And Us-Russian Policy, Ryan J. Orsini

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article assesses the American-Russian economic relationship, identifying how Russia exploits strategic asymmetries to gain advantage in the space below armed conflict and how the United States can modernize its economic statecraft. It draws upon a wide range of comparative research, from US-Russian military thought to the American-Eurasian economic interrelationship, to evaluate the full range of economic statecraft within a single dyad of countries in the context of coercion theory. This analysis will assist American policymakers in reforming priorities and processes according to principles of economic statecraft to sustain ongoing American coercion and set conditions for advantage upon the return …

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Dysfunctional Warfare: The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, Rob Johnson

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was based on false premises, faulty assumptions, and a weak strategy. As the conflict has unfolded, heavy losses have imposed a strain on available Russian manpower. The Russian army reached a culminating point outside Kyiv and has exhibited little sign of operational learning. By contrast, Ukrainians have fought an existential war, making good use of dispersed light infantry tactics with high motivation levels. Western support has allowed them to compensate for their deficiencies in armaments and munitions. This commentary also shows military and policy leaders how the political context continues to impose limitations on the Ukrainians.

Putin’S Invasion Of Ukraine In 2022: Implications For Strategic Studies, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This special commentary examines critical issues for the field of strategic studies raised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the waning of major war, strategic coercion, and “War Amongst the People.” Drawing on previous scholarship and current events, this commentary considers the questions raised by the first major war of the twenty-first century. It provides recommendations for scholars and senior leaders on how to work together to address the questions of strategy and policy that have and continue to arise as the war progresses.

How And Why Do Great Powers Weaponize Bordering Diasporas In Foreign Policy., Matthew A. Payne

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many ethnic groups found themselves suddenly as a diaspora across the various republics. Most notable among these would be the Russians who radiated out from the Russian SFSR into the periphery states. In two states in particular, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, was there simultaneously an overall large community of these dispersed Russians and in which that community formed a substantial share of the host state’s population. In 2014, in the wake of a pro-European regime change in Ukraine, a civil war erupted as Moscow directed pro-Russian separatists to seek independence.

This paper …

Vlast' I Vlist' Power And Influence: Lgbt Violence In Chechnya And Activist Responses, Victoria M. Henretty

Modern Languages & Literatures Honors Theses

In my research I provide a genealogy of the LGBT violence in Chechnya that began in 2017. Beginning in the Soviet period, when sexual citizenship entered public discourses, and through the post-Soviet period. I turn to Diane Richardson’s theory of sexual citizenship and Bert Kulpa and Anna Mizielinska’s writings on contemporary peripheries to approach sexual citizenship in Russia and the Caucasus with a critical lens that decenters Western perspectives. I provide a historical primer on the imperial relationship between Russia and Chechnya in order to further explain how imperial dynamics impact sexual citizenship. I turn to LGBT activism since the …

Russia, Europe And Central Asia Energy Security And Pipeline Politics, Mehmet Kınacı

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Energy Security will continue to remain as one of the top security concerns for Europe. Depleting reserves and growing energy demand have increased European dependence on external energy resources. Today, Russia is by far the largest supplier of oil, coal and the natural gas to Europe. Oil and natural gas revenues have played a vital role to rebound the Russian economy and have supported Putin’s ambitions to reestablish Russia as a great power, increasing its influence over the former Soviet space. This complex energy relationship has increasingly been a cause of concern.

The main question this study seeks to answer …

Putin And Putnam: Interpreting Russian Military Activity Through A Three Player, Two-Level Game, Nathan M. Colvin

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Is Vladimir Putin a bad strategist, perhaps irrational? Previous military activity by Russia, such as the annexation of Crimea of 2014, yielded limited international gains, at a significant economic and reputational cost. Yet as the 2022 invasion of Ukraine shows, Putin is willing to commit military power, despite the cost of sanctions and other possible retaliation. This three-player simultaneous game, originally created in June, 2021, demonstrates how domestic and international considerations of President Vladimir Putin might lead to otherwise unpredictable Russian military behavior. In this extended version of Robert Putnam’s “two-level game,” President Putin rationally uses the international venue as …

Should We Worry That The President Called Putin A “War Criminal” Out Loud?, Deborah Pearlstein

Online Publications

Commenting on the increasingly horrific images that have emerged from Bucha this week revealing the staggering brutality of Russian violence against civilians in Ukraine, President Joe Biden minced no words in his assessment of Vladmir Putin: “He is a war criminal,” the president said on Monday. The statement generated a significant new round of media attention, notwithstanding the reality that it was not exactly news. The U.S. State Department had issued a formal statement in March conveying its assessment “that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” and the president himself had called Putin a “war criminal” …

Anti-Satellite Tests: A Risk To The Security And Sustainability Of Outer Space, Mckayla Swan

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

U.S. Warfare Within The Fifth Domain: Deterring Russian Cyber Aggression, Dominick Namias, Jacob Chace

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

Revengence Taken: Russian Active Measures And Our Entrenched Racial Divide, Erin Berhan

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

Our racial divide has always been a national security threat. An early observer of our American project, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote about this threat to our future union in “Democracy in America,” learned by merely travelling the young nation thirty years before our Civil War.1 Despite generations of societal and legal evolution, our nation has not overcome the wounds and disabilities that our racial divide left behind — now ripe for modern security threats. In 2019, the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released Volume II of their years long investigation into Russian Active Measures of interference with our …

Jomini And Naval Special Operations Forces—An Applied-Competition Approach To Russia, Kevin D. Stringer

Naval War College Review

A version of Jomini’s campaigning theory, in combination with maritime special-operations capabilities, offers a convincing maritime approach for contesting Russia’s malign activity in Europe while remaining below the level of armed conflict and supporting a broader conventional effort to prepare a war-fighting environment by using irregular warfare to secure advantages prior to conflicts.

Russia’S 2020 Constitutional Amendments And The Entrenchment Of The Moscow Patriarchate As A Lever Of Foreign Policy Soft Power, Robert C. Blitt

Book Chapters

Much has been written about the Kremlin’s embrace of the Russian Orthodox Church—Moscow Patriarchate (ROC) as a lever of soft power for advancing Russia’s foreign policy. Based on the substance of the constitutional amendments ratified in July 2020, this chapter reasons that the church-state partnership is poised to grow stronger and more entrenched in the coming years.

After briefly highlighting the energizing effect several key constitutional amendments are likely to have on existing Kremlin foreign policy objectives, this chapter offers an assessment of the ROC’s central role in disseminating and advocating these newly minted constitutional norms across its international platforms …

Russia’S 2020 Constitutional Amendments And The Entrenchment Of The Moscow Patriarchate As A Lever Of Foreign Policy Soft Power, Robert C. Blitt

Scholarly Works

Much has been written about the Kremlin’s embrace of the Russian Orthodox Church—Moscow Patriarchate (ROC) as a lever of soft power for advancing Russia’s foreign policy. Based on the substance of the constitutional amendments ratified in July 2020, this chapter reasons that the church-state partnership is poised to grow stronger and more entrenched in the coming years.

After briefly highlighting the energizing effect several key constitutional amendments are likely to have on existing Kremlin foreign policy objectives, this chapter offers an assessment of the ROC’s central role in disseminating and advocating these newly minted constitutional norms across its international platforms …

Deterrence: Selected Articles From The Naval War College Review, Robert C. Ayer, Jack Raymond, Colin S. Gray, Donald M. Snow, Edward J. Ohlert, Jerome J. Burke, George R. Lindsey, Hunter Stires, Sam Goldsmith, Jeffrey E. Kline, Wayne P. Hughes Jr., William S. Murray

Newport Papers

The subject of deterrence fell away from the forefront of American strategic thinking during the three decades following the fall of the Soviet Union. Our ability to deter much weaker states by denying them the ability to achieve their aims was long assumed. But today there is a new global security situation that makes it imperative for American military officers and security specialists to begin to relearn the fundamental tenets of this aspect of national security.

The purpose of this volume is to contribute to that campaign of learning by drawing on some of the excellent scholarship published in the …

The Russian Maritime Arctic: Region Of Great Change In The 21st Century, Lawson W. Brigham

CIWAG Case Studies

(MIWS/02 - Maritime Irregular Warfare Studies, Book 2)

This case study focuses on the evolution and development of the critical maritime region of the Russian Arctic out into the future. It specifically considers what the Russian state may initiate in Arctic economic projects, and what aspects of this region Russia will seek to control, in what will most certainly become one of the vital ocean corridors of the world. The case highlights what factors may constitute the outlines of further development in a region that is not only important today and is emerging as a vital resource area and transport …