Harlan Ullman

Rarely have serving Secretaries of State called their president a “f…ng moron.” Rex Tillerson did. Mark Esper, the 27th Secretary of Defense did not go quite that far in his memoir, Sacred Oath. However, Esper’s description of Donald Trump and his White House during fifteen months of service as Secretary of Defense could hardly have […]

For 75 years, containment and deterrence were foundational for American and Western strategic thinking. But are both still relevant? Neither Russia nor China has been contained from taking aggressive actions detrimental to the security and interests of many. While thermonuclear war has been deterred between the military superpowers, Russia surely was not deterred from invading […]

The question haunting Washington and other capitals is whether Vladimir Putin might resort to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. What would be his reasoning? What might be the consequences? And what can be done now to prevent Putin even from considering that use? If the war in Ukraine continued to be a disaster for Russia, […]

As the war in Ukraine enters its third month, it is clear what the US, NATO and other like-minded states are doing to support Kyiv in repelling the Russian invasion. Rushing military equipment to Ukraine; imposing punishing sanctions on Russia; and isolating it are among the tools being used. But what is the strategy? That […]

The sinking of the Russian Black Sea flagship, the forty-six-year-old Moskva, was a stunning example of shock and awe a la Kyiv. Tactically and operationally, this was a military coup applying large measures of deception and skill in placing what appeared to have been two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles on target. And the Soviet-designed Slava […]

Imran Khan is out. Whether or not he and his party PTI can stage a comeback is unknown. Former Punjab chief minister Shabbaz Sharif has been named interim Prime Minister until the next elections. However, key coalition partners PML-N and PPP have been locked in near permanent conflict for decades, predating the Asif Zardari-Nawaz Sharif […]

With the war in Ukraine raging and Russia’s Vladimir Putin threatening to use nuclear weapons should outside forces cross some undefined “red lines,” NATO’s Article 5 has understandably received greater attention, but not necessarily closer scrutiny. For those who have not studied Article 5, the impression, underscored by President Joe Biden’s repeated assurances, is that […]

As the war in Ukraine enters its second month, already dreadful conditions only worsen. An immediate ceasefire or cessation of hostilities seems unlikely. The war dominates America’s attention as Ukrainians continue to display extraordinary courage and resolution under a vicious onslaught. And the risk of a dangerous escalation, intended or not, is present. But American […]

In war, as Clausewitz told us, “fog and friction” can make even the simplest of operations impossible. Likewise, war is filled with realities, myths and blunders. In the Ukraine war, one reality is most troubling. That is the diametrically opposed views of Western and Russian perceptions of the war, how it is being waged and […]

When questioned about prosecuting the 2003 war in Iraq, then Major General David Petraeus famously asked, “Tell me how this ends?” That question is even more relevant today regarding Ukraine. Recall Iraq disintegrated into a widespread insurgency in 2004 that General Petraeus would have to suppress two years later. During that war, then defence secretary, […]