Articles by: "Richard N. Haass"
Ten lessons from the return of history

Few will miss 2022, a year defined by a lingering pandemic, advancing climate change, galloping inflation, slowing economic growth and, more than anything else, the outbreak of a costly war in Europe and concerns that …

Making sense of midterm America

Midterm elections take place in the United States every four years, halfway into a president’s term and two years before the next presidential election. At stake is one-third of the Senate, the entire House of …

The new nuclear era

Nuclear weapons have been a feature of international relations since August 1945, when the United States dropped two of them on Japan to hasten the end of World War II. None has been used since …

Ukraine’s coming winter of decision

Russia’s war against Ukraine, which President Vladimir Putin began in 2014 and expanded in February, has taken a dramatic turn following Ukrainian forces’ liberation, in less than a week, of some 8,800 square kilometres of …

Xi’s guns of August

Much of the foreign-policy conversation in the United States over the past two weeks has centred on whether House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi ought to have visited Taiwan. Her backers point out that there …

As the world burns

It is often said that no one wins a war, just that some lose less than others. Russia’s war against Ukraine promises to be no exception. One clear loser is already evident: the planet. The …

The early winners and losers in Putin’s war

It is five weeks into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. Actually, there are two wars: a Russian war waged mainly against Ukraine’s cities and civilian population, and a war fought by Ukraine’s armed …

Putin’s war and China’s choice

‘Ripeness is all’, noted Edgar in Shakespeare’s King Lear. When it comes to negotiations to limit or end international conflicts, he is right: agreements emerge only when the leading protagonists are willing to compromise and …

America and China’s unhappy anniversary

The United States and China are this week marking the golden anniversary of their modern relationship. In February 1972, US President Richard Nixon and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, stepped off a plane in …

Putin’s Ukraine quagmire

Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly showcases his skills in judo and other martial arts. Success in these sports often depends on what the Japanese call kuzushi—unbalancing one’s opponent by employing techniques designed to disrupt their …