Given what “containment” and “deterrence” consists of on one hand and the Russian perspective on the other hand, it follows that at one particular stage of the Cold War in the 20th century, the United States took a shot at what is known as détente in order to probe as to whether the prospect or … Continue reading The Psychological Equation
Tag: russia
The Deterrence Mindset
The deterrence mindset – and I believe there is such a mindset to account for in Washington – consists of instilling fear through threats on one hand and imposing a serious ‘cost-benefit analysis’ on the other hand. Moreover, deterrence is part and parcel of the basic relationship between military action and the ultimate goals of … Continue reading The Deterrence Mindset
Conventional Deterrence
It follows that if détente and peaceful coexistence never lasts, the focus and the strategy by default becomes one of “containment” and “deterrence” vis-à-vis Russian aggression and expansion. In turn, one can bank on a policy or strategy of deterrence only if the opposite side espouses “fear of the consequences” of aggression and expansion. As … Continue reading Conventional Deterrence
Détente and its Discontents
In a sense, nuclear weapons and the relative equilibrium in terms of advanced technology between Washington and Moscow renders decision and strategy as moot, in the sense that there are only two strategic options: peace or total war. As we see, peace was never an option. Thus, the only option left is total war. But … Continue reading Détente and its Discontents
We Will Bury You
Hence, one can only guess as to what Russia is trying to achieve through its war with Ukraine given what we have stated already. But of course, certain scholars and theorists have already taken a shot at it. As Samuel Huntington argued, Russia is seeking to create a “civilizational bloc” equivalent to that of NATO … Continue reading We Will Bury You
Adam A. Azim 