Ukraine | Charles Duelfer

Category Archives: Ukraine

Nuclear Weapons and Alcohol Do Not Mix

Lot’s of analysts are creating analyses of Vladimir Putin.  What drives him? What are his objectives? Is he psycho?  The fact is, no one really knows.  Analysis that was likewise wobbly surrounded Saddam in his day. It was off the … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, Intelligence, Lavrov, nuclear weapons, Putin, Ukraine, WMD | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Putin: Lessons from Saddam

Is Lavrov the New Baghdad Bob? Saddam’s Saddam’s last information minister and a former foreign minister was Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf–better known in Western Press as “Baghdad Bob”. He was ridiculed for his blatant incorrect statements about the American led invasion … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, Intelligence, Iraq, Lavrov, NATO, nuclear weapons, Putin, Russia, Ukraine, WMD | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Unavoidable Elements of the Ukraine Crisis

Western policy to prevent further Russian aggression in Ukraine is hobbled by a few inescapable problems. The government in Ukraine is weak from the top down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is no Vladimir Putin.  While they both stand about 5 … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, China, NATO, nuclear weapons, Russia, Ukraine, United Nations | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Taiwan is to Xi Jinping as Ukraine is to Vladimir Putin…

This analogy is too simple, but helps to think about the vise jaws that the Biden Administration now finds itself between.  The similarities:  Both Xie and Putin have maneuvered to be in power for the foreseeable future.  The duration of … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, China, Cyber Threat, Elections, Intelligence, NATO, Russia, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Understanding the Dataverse: Beirut Explosion and the future of Intelligence Collection/Analysis

As a thought experiment to see what’s coming in intelligence collection and analytics, consider the forensics associated with the recent Beirut disaster. The event itself was obviously detected instantly by witnesses all over the city.  And instantly, decision makers needed … Continue reading

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Obama Learns of Malaysian Aircraft Destruction form Putin?!

The Malaysian aircraft destruction is tragic, but not unique. Commercial Airliners have been shot down before.  In 1983 the Soviet air defense fighters shot down a Korean Airlines 747 that had strayed off course, impinged on Soviet airspace and the … Continue reading

Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Malaysian Airline Shootdown, Russia, Ukraine, United Nations | Leave a comment

The New Russian Threat: May be Good News for some

Putin may discover to his surprise that it is in many American parties interests to have Russia as an enemy.  It is not overly cynical to point out that, for many interests in Washington, there is a great need to … Continue reading

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Ukraine – Dollar vs. Ruble

Looking ahead at the conflict between the US and Russia over Ukraine,  it may turn out that this could become a financial war rather than a kinetic war.  The US has an enormous strength irrespective of our military–the US dollar.  … Continue reading

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Space Station and the Ukraine Crisis

The international space station is currently occupied by a crew of six.  There are three Russians, two Americans and a Japanese member.   The commander is a Russian.  Presumably they all get along and are bonded by their collective mission.  Nevertheless, … Continue reading

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Russia in Ukraine and Market Predictors

No one should have been surprised by Putin’s actions regarding Ukraine after the Olympics.  While Americans may have a short memory, that is generally not said about Russians.  Putin would have learned from Brezhnev’s experience that it is better to … Continue reading

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