Brookings Institution
Steven Pifer is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of its Arms Control and Nonproliferation Initiative. He is the co-author of The Opportunity: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Arms.
From 1998-2000, Pifer served as US Ambassador to Ukraine under President Clinton.
Trump meets Ukrainian President Poroshenko at the White House As a candidate, Donald Trump was ambiguous about US support for Ukraine. He said he might lift sanctions against Russia — perhaps even recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea. Today at the White House, it was a different story, as the President met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. For his part, Poroshenko appeared to be relieved. Steven Pifer at the Brookings Institution is a former US Ambassador to Ukraine. He says there are very good reasons American foreign policy should support Ukraine.
NATO Returns to Its Original Mission: Countering Moscow After the fall of the Soviet Union, the NATO alliance became a world police force. Now, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has re-focused attention back to protection of Eastern Europe. On Tuesday, the US announced it will send tanks, armored personnel carriers and other heavy equipment into Eastern Europe. Yesterday, in Brussels, the NATO alliance accelerated its mobile rapid response by beefing up forces with 40,000 soldiers. It’s the first such buildup since the fall of the Soviet Union. OSCE SMM monitoring the movement of heavy weaponry in eastern Ukraine
US Considers “Lethal Aid” to Ukraine Forces With Russian-backed separatists advancing in Ukraine, there’s pressure on the Obama Administration to provide the government with weapons sophisticated enough to strike back effectively. Is that the best answer to provocations by Vladimir Putin—or could it lead to a wider war? Secretary of State John Kerry will be in Kiev tomorrow, amid reports that the Obama Administration may change course and provide the Ukrainian army with high-tech weaponry for use against separatists backed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
MH 17: The Victims' Bodies Go to the Netherlands and the EU Points to Russia The Netherlands lost 193 of the 298 victims when Malaysian Airlines FH 17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine, and it will lead the investigation. Earlier, a refrigerated train with the remains of victims went from the crash site to Kharkiv, which is under control of Ukraine. Pro-Russian separatists turned over the black boxes to Malaysia, which will pass them on to Dutch investigators.
The Last Stand for Pro-Russian Forces in Eastern Ukraine? A re-vitalized Ukrainian Army is on the march against pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukrainian cities. Russian President Putin has not responded to calls for help from rebels he was encouraging just a few weeks ago. Why not? Is protracted urban warfare inevitable? Is there any prospect for peace? After re-taking Sloviansk in the eastern part of his country this weekend, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said pro-Russian rebels were making their “last stand.” But the rebels show no signs of making it easy: they’re concentrating their forces in Donetsk, and they’ve blown up three bridges leading into that city of one million people.
Energy and Independence from Kiev to Keystone Ukraine’s Army is on the move with pro-Russian forces still digging in. As the crisis continues to build, there’s the prospect of a “natural gas war” pitting Russia against the European Union and NATO. Energy supplies could be affected worldwide, with the US on the verge of an oil and gas boom that could mean energy independence. Some Democrats are pushing the President to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. There’s pressure to increase fracking and to export natural gas. But what about renewables, and the environment? Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called President Obama to discuss the growing crisis in Ukraine. The White House says Putin was urged to ask “all irregular forces to lay down their arms.”
The Threat to America — from Our Own Nuclear Weapons During the Cold War, atomic bombs fell out of the sky over North Carolina. A missile tipped with a hydrogen bomb blew up in Arkansas. Most Americans never knew about 700 "significant" incidents that could have produced historic catastrophes — here in the US. Investigative reporter Eric Schlosser spent five years searching declassified documents to discover how often dumb luck made the difference. We talk with him. How much safer are today's weapons' systems? What are the prospects for reducing nuclear arms? Two men involved in the Damascus incident, Ronald Gray and Greg Devlin, were interviewed for " The Missileers ." That story, produced by Eric Molinsky and Bob Carlson, is part of the program UnFictional , which is produced and broadcast here at KCRW in Santa Monica.
The Threat to America — from Our Own Nuclear Weapons During the Cold War, atomic bombs fell out of the sky over North Carolina. A missile tipped with a hydrogen bomb blew up in Arkansas. Most Americans never knew about 700 "significant" incidents that could have produced historic catastrophes — here in the US. Investigative reporter Eric Schlosser spent five years searching declassified documents to discover how often dumb luck made the difference. We talk with him. How much safer are today's weapons' systems? What are the prospects for reducing nuclear arms? Two men involved in the Damascus incident, Ronald Gray and Greg Devlin, were interviewed for " The Missileers ." That story, produced by Eric Molinsky and Bob Carlson, is part of the program UnFictional , which is produced and broadcast here at KCRW in Santa Monica.
US Nuclear Weapons, Past and Future During the Cold War, atomic bombs fell out of the sky over North Carolina. A missile tipped with a hydrogen bomb blew up in Arkansas. Most Americans never knew about 700 "significant" incidents that could have produced historic catastrophes — here in the US. We talk with investigative reporter Eric Schlosser, who spent five years searching declassified documents to discover how often dumb luck made the difference. Two men involved in the Damascus incident were interviewed for The Missileers, an episode of UnFictional, a program produced and broadcast here at KCRW radio in Santa Monica. The first voice is that of Greg Devlin, a Titan II liquid fuel systems maintenance specialist. The next is Ronald Gray, who was in charge of quality control at McConnell Air Force base and asked to investigate two days after the Damascus explosion. Listen to the full story of The Missileers .
A New START for Nuclear Disarmament President Obama was back in Prague, where he became the toast of Europe a year ago with a speech that envisioned a world without nuclear weapons. Today, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a new version of the Strategic Arms Treaty, which expired last December.
A New START for Nuclear Disarmament President Obama is back in Prague, where he became the toast of Europe a year ago with a speech that envisioned a world without nuclear weapons. Today, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a new version of the Strategic Arms Treaty, which expired last December. Supporters concede it has loopholes, but call it essential to reducing the dangers of Cold War weapons that have outlived their usefulness. Opponents say it gives too much and gets too little and allows Russia to opt out if it doesn't like US plans for missile defense in Europe. Will it make any difference to Iran or North Korea? What are the chances of ratification by Russia's parliament and the United States Senate?
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.