Ted Snider

As a child growing up in Leningrad, Vladimir Putin lived in a run-down five-story building. He and his parents shared an apartment with two other families. The yard was filled with garbage, and the garbage was filled with rats. "Putin and his friends used to chase after them with sticks, until one day a large … Continue reading “Putin: Lessons From Childhood”

An intelligence review commissioned by the Biden administration has concluded that "Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders." On September 12, the State Department shared the information with US embassies … Continue reading “US Accuses Russia of Interfering in Foreign Elections”

The first world leader to call President George W. Bush after 9/11 was Vladimir Putin. In fact, he had called him two days before, on September 9, to warn Bush that, based on unfolding events he had observed in the environment, he had "a foreboding that something was about to happen, something long in preparation." … Continue reading “Remembering Our Friends on 9/11”

The horrific war in Ukraine is, tragically, far from over with no end in sight. Whether the world that emerges will be unipolar or multipolar, one thing is certain: the world is now more polarized. The war in Ukraine is a threshold that, having been crossed, forces Russia to face two certain premises. The first … Continue reading “How the War Is Choreographing Russia’s New Stance”

When Western history sings its own song, it tells the tale of triumph over the Soviet Union bringing the Cold War to an end. But that is never what happened, and the events went the other way around. Mikhail Gorbachev, who passed away on August 30, was a visionary who first negotiated the end of … Continue reading “If Only We’d Listened: Mikhail Gorbachev”

On August 22, in response to the question, "Under what conditions is Russia ready to resort to the use of nuclear weapons," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov cited the "Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence.” He said that Russia "hypothetically" could allow the use of … Continue reading “Ukraine and Russia: A Dangerous Tale of Two Speeches”

In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained, "What happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today? No one even remembers them. But I will allow myself to remind this audience what was said. I would like to quote the speech of NATO General … Continue reading “What Did the West Promise Russia on NATO Expansion?”

In his State of the Union address, President Biden announced that Russia was "isolated from the world more than [it] ever has been." He said that "We are choking off Russia’s access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come." But the facts on the ground are … Continue reading “The Continuing Isolation of Russia? But Wait…”

In 2008, William Burns, who is now Biden’s director of the CIA but was then ambassador to Russia, warned that "Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all redlines for the Russian elite (not just Putin)." He warned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in … Continue reading “We Always Knew the Dangers of NATO Expansion”

Recent events in Ukraine and Taiwan have presented President Biden with an opportunity to showcase his statesmanship. Both situations presented Biden with a red line. Both times he crossed it. Giving Biden a red line not to cross does not seem to be a good idea. Seemingly demonstrating the psychology less of a statesman and … Continue reading “Is There a Red Line Biden Won’t Cross?”