Articles by Stephen R. Bowers
Russian Petroleum: Partnerships and Influence
In a world in which the calculus of power is increasingly complex, the only element of power that clearly serves Russian interest is energy resources. While Putin has done much to restore his country’s military capacity, its raw materials have … Continue reading
Counter-Radical Themes: Rejecting Assimilation
Today, in the United States, a cultural as well as a security challenge is posed by radical Muslims who deny the need for assimilation. Those hoping to deal with the challenge posed by young Muslim females attracted to groups like … Continue reading
Employing the West’s Communications Apparatus
While post-election media coverage of Russian involvement in U.S. politics focused on a Democratic Party belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin somehow tipped the scales against Hillary Clinton’s billion dollar presidential campaign, detailed studies show that the Kremlin has a … Continue reading
The American Presidency
B rion McClanahan, who holds a PhD in American history from the University of South Carolina, is author or co-author of four important books dealing with issues fundamental to our survival as a free, constitutional system. He previously wrote The … Continue reading
President Ronald Reagan’s Use of Humor
Reagan could tell a good joke and recount an amusing anecdote. However, more importantly, it showed that he understood the value of restraint and that he could disagree without impugning the character of his political opponents. A lighthearted response had greater impact than a strident or bitter denunciation of an adversary. Reagan sought and achieved political victories without indulging in the politics of personal destruction. He did not see his rivals as enemies but as components of a free political system in which debate and disagreements are inevitable. Continue reading
The Bond between Faith and Freedom
It was half a century ago that Ronald Reagan emerged as America’s most eloquent spokesman for conservative principles. In his 1964 speech, “A Time for Choosing,” Reagan demonstrated that he was a more consequential campaigner for Barry Goldwater than was … Continue reading
Civic Values and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in post-communist Romania
In an era when post-communist systems are struggling under the weight of economic failures, dictatorial tendencies, and Russian military threats, Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has set a standard for cultivation of civic values.
The Cold War Museum at Vint Hill Farms
The end of the Cold War in 1991, an event often heralded as an ideological victory for anti-communists and conservatives, brought about numerous calls for the creation of official landmarks, museums, and monuments as commemoration of this juncture in not only U.S. history, but global history as well. From Berlin to California, independent groups and various governmental entities designated sites to enable present and future generations to remember the events that for almost half a century shaped the nature of global conflicts.
Ramzan Kadyrov and the Chechen Political Landscape
In the 21st century, the pantheon of tyrants has reached proportions which are almost unimaginable by the standards of previous historical periods. It is not simply that there are so many in this era but, perhaps more notably, that today’s tyrants are both shameless and constantly in the public eye.
Chechens: Sochi or Syria?
In June of 2013, Doku Umarov, who considers himself leader of the Caucasus Emirate and is regarded as Russia’s most recent version of Osama bin Laden, resurfaced after a long period of self-imposed obscurity. The main purpose of his short video statement, which appeared on YouTube, was to offer condolences to the families of Islamic insurgents who died in a series of unsuccessful operations. Because he had not been seen since November 2012, there was speculation that he was dead or, at a minimum, irrelevant as Russia prepared to host the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
‘False Dawn’ and ‘High Stalinism’
For years the “basic book” on Communism in Eastern Europe was Zbigniew Brzezinski’s The Soviet Bloc. While it was an excellent and definitive work, Brzezinski did not have access to a mountain of documentation about how dictatorships were imposed on the East European states. With this data, Anne Applebaum has compiled a precise and detailed account of the process by which this was done.
The South Caucasus and the Importance of U.S. Interests
When the American public learned the identities of the Boston Marathon terrorists, a nation which had relegated Caucasus issues to obscurity was forced to turn to maps and remind itself of the location and significance of this large and turbulent region.
Georgia’s 2012 Parliamentary Elections: Domestic and International Concerns
The long Russian campaign to create a “Eurasian Union” that could challenge the European Union as well as China took another step forward in the most recent Georgian elections.
