Russia in Global Affairs

In 2020, about a year before the “escape from Kabul” drama began to unfold, the academic collection of essays entitled On Strategy: A Primer hit the shelves in the United States. Chief editor of this book Nathan Finney well represents the modern cohort of U.S. staff officers boasting a remarkable combination of professional military training and fundamental university education.

Russia has extensive historical experience of using force and diplomacy, which makes its strategic culture one of the most fruitful of all. The Russian elites have a large reserve of determination. They are able to mobilize resources to achieve foreign policy goals. Apparently, the strategy that stems from these qualities works best at a time when the international order is crumbling down and anar-chy is rising.