Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Russia Pervades; U.S. National Defense Strategy; Tillerson's Middle East Trip; Turkey at War; India and China Tensions Over Maldives; Zuma to Step Down

Quote of the Week:

"Frankly, the United States is under attack. Under attack by entities that are using cyber to penetrate virtually every major action that takes place in the United States."

-- Daniel Coats, U.S. Director of National Intelligence , in remarks during the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's Worldwide Threats Hearing on Tuesday. 

Russia Pervades

"Russian Threat to Elections to Persist Through 2018, Spy Bosses Warn Congress" Miles Parks -- NPR, February 13, 2018

"The (Former) Soviet Empire Strikes Back" Richard Sokolsky and Paul Stronski -- The National Interest, February 13, 2018

"The Surprising Success of Putinomics" Chris Miller -- Foreign Affairs, February 7, 2018

"What Ban? Patriotic Fervor Grips Russia's Celebration House in South Korea" Tariq Panja -- The New York Times, February 11, 2018 

The New National Defense Strategy

"Defending America Means Defending Democracy" Richard Fontaine and Daniel Twining -- Foreign Policy, February 13, 2018

"The National Defense Strategy: A Compelling Case for Defense Innovation" Steve Blank -- War on the Rocks, February 12, 2018

"Oversight and Accountability in U.S. Security Sector Assistance" Melissa Dalton; Hijab Shah; Shannon Green -- Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 12, 2018 [Report]

Tillerson Travels the Middle East

"Previewing Secretary Tillerson's Upcoming Trip to Amman, Jordan; Ankara, Turkey; Beirut, Lebanon; Cairo, Egypt; and Kuwait City, Kuwait" Senior State Department Officials -- U.S. Department of State, February 9, 2018 [Special Briefing]

"Rex Tillerson Is Skipping Israel on a Massive Tour of the Middle East, and It's Looking More and More Like a Mistake" Peter Jacobs -- Business Insider, February 11, 2018 

"New Tensions Between America and Turkey Are Overshadowing the Anti-Islamic State Unity Meeting" Matthew Lee - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 13, 2018

"Talking Turkey" Carmine Gentile -- Atlantic Council, February 12, 2018

Turkey at War

"Turkey Is Out of Control. Time for the U.S. to Say So" Eric Edelman and Jake Sullivan -- Politico, February 13, 2018

"General Erdogan's First War" Steven Cook -- Foreign Policy, February 7, 2018 

"Instead of Turning East, Turkey Is Going It Alone" Nick Danforth -- War on the Rocks, February 13, 2018

Maldives Crisis Brings India-China Rivalry to the Fore

"The Crisis in the Maldives, Explained" Nayma Qayum -- The Washington Post, February 12, 2018 

"As Maldives Burns, Lessons for China and India's Limited Options" David Brewster -- South China Morning Post, February 7, 2018

"Can Soft Power Help Repair China-India Ties?" Tridivesh Singh Maini -- The Diplomat, February 10, 2018

South Africa's Zuma to Step Down 

"South Africa's Ruling Party Recalled President Zuma. But the ANC Faces 3 Big Challenges" Benjamin Bradlow -- The Washington Post, February 14, 2018

"Jacob Zuma's Undoing" John Campbell -- Council on Foreign Relations, February 13, 2018

"Jacob Zuma's Last Stand" Editorial Board -- The Economist, February 13, 2018