Ariel Cohen

Russian President Vladimir Putin has single-handedly expanded NATO, to include Finland and Sweden, incentivized European cohesion, re-militarized Germany, destroyed the Russian economy, pushed Russia further into China's steel grip and most importantly, reinvigorated the Western democratic order after three decade of malaise.

Putin has consolidated his turn to totalitarianism, sending his country back into the mid-1980s.

Russia is escalating pressure on Ukraine, threatening to drag the U.S. and NATO into their worst confrontation with Moscow since the Cold War.

In Eastern and Central Europe, corruption softens politicians' stance towards Moscow, unravels the social fabric and causes voters to opt for political extremes.

Prematurely exiting Afghanistan has far-reaching implications, and will cause friends and foes alike to question America's foreign policy commitments.

When Joe Biden confronts the strongman of Russia on June 16th, the global balance of power will be at stake.

The images of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system deployed against thousands of Hamas rockets fired from Gaza made clear that effective missile defense is a matter of life and death.

China will remain the principal challenger to America's status in the world during the Biden term and for decades beyond, with Russia a close second.

The Qatar-Saudi deal is a huge step in the right direction. If managed properly, will make it easier for the U.S. to do the big things without distraction.

Azerbaijan emerged as the undisputed victor of the war, but Putin picked up some important gains as well—along with some painful lessons.

If governments expect to maintain order, they need to be forward-thinking in their responses to COVID-stricken economies.

The coronavirus epidemic has created the temptation to forgo the complicated peace process and to simply withdraw our troops. This is the very last thing America should be doing.

Like in Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the writing was on the wall. We need to reform and reconfigure the global and national public health systems to prevent this from reoccurring.

Washington is committed to Europe's security—for now.

Americans will need to learn to respect their allies' national interests. Europeans need to understand Beijing's drive for leadership in pharmaceuticals, aerospace, IT and robotics can lead to their industrial and economic demise.

To keep Russia and Iran in check, NATO now more than ever needs to develop and pursue a comprehensive strategy for the Black Sea. Georgia is key to the region.

Trump is dismantling a U.S.-led global architecture built by four generations, paid for by thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars of investment.

Just ten years ago, steps towards cleaner energy could have been easily dismissed as greenwashing – polluters' corporate PR. Not today: Key Russian exporters are keen to make themselves indispensable for Europe's green future.

President Trump is stuck between a rock and a hard place: he can't ignore an attack on a major ally and on the global oil market, but a military response, even of the "proportionate" variety, risks escalating the conflict.

Western leaders are failing miserably to find common ground on the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.

If Trump had a sensibility about the rule of law, he would recognize its sorry state in Russia as Putin's ultimate vulnerability.

Ukraine's tilt to the West is forcing Putin's hand in the region. The U.S., as the leader of the West, cannot allow this to happen.

Both sides of the Atlantic need to face down the challenge from China, and Russia must be given a choice of joining the West or facing China alone.

This is the best shot Venezuela had at democracy for a generation—and the U.S. can't afford to sit this one out.

America appears to be in retreat, and its opponents are taking notice.

There's an emerging geopolitical chess-match between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran for hegemony of the Middle East.

Is Trump attempting to lure Putin to leave his de-facto alliance with China?

Trump should not further insult and alienate the Europeans.

Can the German Chancellor's Washington trip thaw relations with the U.S.?

After hopes of a quick détente, it's Cold War business as usual at the Kremlin.