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Articles by Mark Kukis
When U.S. pivot is seen as an 'expansion' into Asia
Above Photo: 171228-N-VK310-0086 PEARL HARBOR (Dec. 28, 2017) Sailors salute while passing the USS Arizona memorial on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp is transiting to Sasebo, Japan to conduct a turnover with the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) as the forward-delpoyed flagship of the amphibious forces in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
When U.S. pivot is seen as an 'expansion' into Asia
Vladimir Putin and other Russian leaders now more than ever have reason to feel encircled with Sweden and Finland moving to join NATO this week. Moscow’s persistent fear of Western military encroachment on Russian borders now stands as a stark reality in the wake of the war in Ukraine, a seismic development in European security all the more remarkable when taking a long look back at NATO expansion.
Biden should declare a moratorium on drone strikes – Responsible Statecraft
After a missile attack killed 10 civilians amid the evacuation from Kabul, two US senators are calling on the White House to act. Two senior Democratic senators this week renewed calls on the White House to rein in targeted killings through airstrikes, which frequently involve armed drones.
Biden should draw more attention to US airstrikes – Responsible Statecraft
Recent attacks in Somalia and Afghanistan went largely unnoticed, a new norm that further embeds America in endless conflict. U.S. forces have recently unleashed a flurry of airstrikes in Somalia and Afghanistan, continuing a long string of bombings targeting militants in those and other countries. More attacks are sure to come, especially in Afghanistan as the United States works to support the Afghan government from afar to fend off the Taliban.
Why Biden should renounce the Carter Doctrine – Responsible Statecraft
President Biden has signaled a willingness to restrain U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts in announcing an end to American support for Saudi military actions in Yemen. But the United States remains prone to entanglements even so, in Yemen and elsewhere, because fundamental U.S. strategy in the region remains unchanged.
Political violence is not just for poor countries anymore – Mark Kukis | Aeon Essays
Thailand’s prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha aired a dire warning to the thousands of protesters who thronged the streets of Bangkok for days in the summer of 2020 demanding his resignation. Prayuth accused the demonstrators of bringing Thailand to the brink of collapse. ‘If that happens, just wait, everybody will be on fiery land, engulfed in flames,’ he said. Prayuth and other political leaders eyeing masses of protesters often see forces of destruction lurking in even peaceful demonstrations.
Why NATO should work with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for post-pandemic collective security – Responsible Statecraft
Why NATO should work with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for post-pandemic collective security The zoonotic rupture in the global landscape caused by COVID-19 has radically increased foreign as well as domestic policy stakes in the November elections. In competing against President Donald Trump, presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden is convinced, according to Gabriel Debenedetti in New York Magazine, that returning to the status quo ante is untenable.
Is ending the Saudi-led blockade on Qatar now the right answer? – Responsible Statecraft
Speaking in Qatar after a meeting with the foreign minister, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook said, “The dispute has continued for too long and it ultimately harms our shared regional interests in stability, prosperity and security.
A transpartisan case for peace on the Korean Peninsula – Responsible Statecraft
This article was co-published with The American Conservative. “If we take the first step of declaring the end of the Korean War, it could incentivize leaders of the Korean Peninsula to take action,” noted Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) at a virtual roundtable Monday co-hosted by Women Cross DMZ, the American Conservative and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft on how a permanent peace agreement can resolve the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
The United States has legitimate nuclear concerns with China – Responsible Statecraft
In a recent piece for Responsible Statecraft, Gregory Kulacki argued that China is unlikely to engage in a nuclear arms race with the United States and, in short, that Washington is wrong to regard the country as a nuclear problem. The odds of China engaging in nuclear competition with the United States are indeed slim, but that isn’t what concerns Washington. The source of Washington’s problem with Beijing is elsewhere. Let me begin with this.
For durable peace in Yemen, inclusion must mean more than simply a voice for civil actors - Responsible Statecraft
A child from Taiz City in Yemen sits on the ruins of his home, August 2016 (Photo credit: akramalrasny / Shutterstock.com) Peace agreements are necessarily made between the elites of the warring factions, but there is international agreement that sustainable peace in divided societies can only be achieved if peace negotiations reach out to other actors beyond the elites.
The Roman Empire's experience tells us it’s a bad idea to go to war with Iran during a pandemic - Responsible Statecraft
U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on September 18, 2019. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain] Almost 2,000 years ago, an overextended empire picked a new fight with an old rival. After Persian incursions in Syria, the Roman Empire launched a military expedition that quickly backfired.
COVID-19 and Iranian-American relations - Responsible Statecraft
Mike Pompeo at the 2019 United Against Nuclear Iran conference (credit: U.S. State Department) In recent weeks, Iran’s suffering has been dramatically heightened by four converging disasters. The first is the multiplying deaths caused by COVID-19. Iran’s health ministry grimly estimates that one person dies from the virus every ten minutes and 50 are infected every hour.
Iran’s leaders should embrace Nowruz diplomacy - Responsible Statecraft
Iranians across the world, joined by communities in countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are celebrating the beginning of Persian New Year and the arrival of spring. Nowruz is a set of festivities that mark the Vernal Equinox and the commencement of the solar calendar year.
The new dangers of international enmity: How pandemics change the geopolitical calculus - Responsible Statecraft
Donald Trump signs an Executive Order reimposing sanctions on Iran that had been lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) Those who fear and despise Iran have reason to be more afraid now than ever. For years, Tehran’s efforts to develop nuclear technology and field legions of loyal armed groups across the Middle East have fostered dread and rage among regional leaders and Washington officials.
Long-Term Gains Far Outweigh Short-Term Costs from Withdrawing the U.S. Military from the Middle East - Responsible Statecraft
50911-N-9885M-300 U.S. Army and Iraqi soldiers cross an intersection during a routine security patrol in downtown Tal Afar, Iraq … DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Alan D. Monyelle, U.S. Navy. President Donald Trump and his administration came into office promising to stop “endless wars” in the Middle East. But like his predecessors, the president has found himself walking back this important strategic objective. Why?
Why do Some Iranians in the Diaspora Support a War Against Iran? - Responsible Statecraft
In the recent days since the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, an excess of information has been spread about how Iranians living in the diaspora feel about this pivotal event. The aftermath of his killing has made a military escalation between Iran and the United States more likely than before.
The U.S. Can Only Lose in War With Iran - Responsible Statecraft
Dramatic events in Baghdad and the assassination of Iranian Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani have left the United States and Iran veering toward open hostilities. Some in Washington, especially stalwart neoconservatives, have openly longed for this day, which many hoped would mark the beginning of the end of the regime in Tehran. That is unlikely. U.S. war with Iran raises the specter of yet another American military defeat in the region, because Iran too has long prepared for this moment.
Why Turkey is Sending Troops to Libya - Responsible Statecraft
Many analysts and Arab statesmen believe that Ankara is pursuing a “neo-Ottoman” agenda in the wider Islamic world. Although it is unrealistic to imagine the Turkish Republic literally expanding its borders to incorporate any sizeable portion of foreign territory that the Ottoman state once governed, there is no denying that the leadership in Ankara sees land and cities that the Ottoman Empire once governed as areas where Turkey has natural influence to assert.
Understanding Changes in UAE-Syria Relations - Responsible Statecraft
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Wikimedia Commons) Syria’s government has mostly been triumphant in its gruesome civil war. In addition to its victories on the battlefield, Damascus has also begun to achieve success in global diplomacy. Regionally, more Arab states are re-engaging Damascus.
The U.S. Should Prioritize Peace in the Middle East's Remaining Conflict Areas - Responsible Statecraft
In recent weeks, endgames for multiple conflicts in the Middle East have become visible. The clearest developments have unfolded in Libya, where forces backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have consolidated control of much of the country and now stand poised at the edge of Tripoli. Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the Libyan National Army, has vowed to take the capital from rival Faiez Serraj, who heads the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord.
War once helped build nations, now it tears them down
Organised violence – the term war boils down to – has long been a unifier of peoples. Archeological evidence shows that nearly half those who lived during the last part of the Stone Age in Nubia, an area along the southern reaches of the Nile River, died violent deaths. Many other tribal societies through the ages have shared this mortality pattern, which suggests large-scale mobilisation for killing rather than widespread random violence.
War Once Helped Build Nations, Now It Destroys Them - The Wire
Organised violence – the term war boils down to – has long been a unifier of peoples. Archeological evidence shows that nearly half those who lived during the last part of the Stone Age in Nubia, an area along the southern reaches of the Nile River, died violent deaths. Many other tribal societies through the ages have shared this mortality pattern, which suggests large-scale mobilisation for killing rather than widespread random violence.
War once helped build nations, now it destroys them – Mark Kukis | Aeon Ideas
Detail from The Battle of Königgrätz by Georg Bleibtreu, 1868. Prussian victory paved the way for a united Germany. Image courtesy Wikipedia Organised violence – the term war boils down to – has long been a unifier of peoples. Archeological evidence shows that nearly half those who lived during the last part of the Stone Age in Nubia, an area along the southern reaches of the Nile River, died violent deaths.
Are Americans' ideas about war stuck in WWII ?
On 28 December 2014, the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan presided over a secret ceremony in Kabul. Standing before a group of NATO soldiers, General John Campbell hailed what he described as great gains in a war effort by then underway for 13 years. ‘You’ve made Afghanistan stronger and our countries safer,’ Campbell said.
Why Americans believe the US can win wars – Mark Kukis | Aeon Essays
On 28 December 2014, the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan presided over a secret ceremony in Kabul. Standing before a group of NATO soldiers, General John Campbell hailed what he described as great gains in a war effort by then underway for 13 years. ‘You’ve made Afghanistan stronger and our countries safer,’ Campbell said.
U.S. cluster bombs strike Afghan village
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. airstrikes against targets near Herat, Afghanistan, scattered cluster bombs over a civilian village in the area, U.N. officials said on Wednesday. The village, called Shaker Qala, sits in between Herat and a military facility of the ruling Taliban militia, where U.S. bombs also struck a hospital and a mosque on the base during airstrikes that began Monday, U.N. officials said.
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