clair086

Russia in Review  is a weekly intelligence summary (INTSUM) produced by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This ISW INTSUM series sheds light on key trends and developments related to the Russian government’s objectives and its efforts to secure them.  Receive future Russia in Review INTSUM products via-email by signing up for the   ISW mailing list . Special Topic Update : Russian Military Doctrine and Lessons Learned in Syria and Ukraine Authors : Mason Clark and Catherine Harris with Jennifer Cafarella Key Takeaway: The U.S. and NATO are preparing for the wrong type of war with Russia. The Russian Armed Forces has determined that hybrid warfare will characterize future conflict and is actively preparing for that future. NATO in turn remains excessively focused on the conventional threat. Russia is developing its military doctrine for hybrid warfare through discourse among high-ranking military officers in military journals based on their experience in conflicts...

By ISW's Syria Team and Syria Direct This graphic marks the latest installment of the Syria Situation Report (SITREP) Map made possible through a partnership between the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and  Syria Direct . The map depicts significant developments in the war in Syria during the period October 11 - October 24, 2018. Click image to enlarge .

Russia in Review  is a weekly intelligence summary (INTSUM) produced by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This ISW INTSUM series sheds light on key trends and developments related to the Russian government’s objectives and its efforts to secure them.  Receive future Russia in Review INTSUM products via-email by signing up for the  ISW mailing list . Reporting Period : October 18 - 25, 2018 Author : Jack Ulses Forecast : Russia is attempting to undermine Western efforts to constrain the Kremlin. Moscow may exploit proposals to modernize the Kosovo Security Force to fuel regional ethnic tensions and call for the removal of the NATO Mission in Kosovo. The Kremlin is also setting conditions to evade Western sanctions in Egypt and may export this model to other emerging markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia. The Kremlin may attempt to marginalize NATO as a security guarantor in Kosovo . The Kosovo Parliament approved draft legislation on October 18 to expand the Kosovo...

By Nataliya Bugayova with Jack Ulses and Chase Johnson Key Takeaway : The Kremlin is expanding its outreach and influence in Africa. Russia is boosting its military sales and economic cooperation across Africa, entering the continent’s emerging nuclear energy market and expanding its access to mineral resources and sites for naval basing. The expansion in outreach followed a tour of five states in Africa by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in March 2018. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and the heads of a number of state-owned enterprises are leading the push by Russia into Africa. Although Russia’s ambitions are primarily economic at this time, the Kremlin is adept at converting economic leverage into political gains. The U.S. should closely monitor these developments due to the growing strategic importance of Africa, the expansion into Africa by China, and the broader campaign by the Kremlin to unde...

By ISW's Syria Team and Syria Direct This graphic marks the latest installment of the Syria Situation Report (SITREP) Map made possible through a partnership between the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and  Syria Direct . The map depicts significant developments in the war in Syria during the period September 23 - October 10, 2018. Click image to enlarge .

Russia in Review  is a weekly intelligence summary (INTSUM) produced by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This ISW INTSUM series sheds light on key trends and developments related to the Russian government’s objectives and its efforts to secure them.  Receive future Russia in Review INTSUM products via-email by signing up for the  ISW mailing list . Reporting Period : October 4 - 11, 2018 (The previous Russia in Review INTSUM is available  here .) Authors : Jack Ulses and Catherine Harris Forecast : The Kremlin will use subversive political lines of effort over the near-term to destabilize the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Russia likely identifies a growing opportunity to expand its influence in the Balkans after federal elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina led to an outcome amenable to the Kremlin. This interference risks exacerbating ethnic tensions that could break down the tenuous stability of the Balkans. Russia may also be setting conditions to integrate the s...

Russia in Review  is a weekly intelligence summary (INTSUM) produced by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This ISW INTSUM series sheds light on key trends and developments related to the Russian government’s objectives and its efforts to secure them.  Receive future Russia in Review INTSUM products via-email by signing up for the  ISW mailing list . Reporting Period : September 26 - October 3, 2018 (The previous Russia in Review INTSUM is available  here .) Authors : Jack Ulses and Catherine Harris with Scott DesMarais and the ISW Research Team Key Takeaway : Russia is leveraging limited military expansion in multiple theaters to reduce the geopolitical influence of the West. The Kremlin is setting conditions to bolster its security role in Afghanistan as a low-cost means to undermine the U.S. and NATO. Russia may also leverage the deployment of advanced military hardware in the Arctic to secure new trade routes and deter expansion in the area by the West and...

By Brandon Wallace and Jennifer Cafarella Key Takeaway : The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) is reconstituting a capable insurgent force in Iraq and Syria despite efforts to prevent its recovery by the U.S. Anti-ISIS Coalition. The U.S. Department of Defense stated in August 2018 that ISIS retains nearly 30,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria and is “more capable” than Al-Qaeda in Iraq - ISIS’s predecessor - at its peak in 2006 - 2007. ISIS is waging an effective campaign to reestablish durable support zones while raising funds and rebuilding command-and-control over its remnant forces. On its current trajectory, ISIS could regain sufficient strength to mount a renewed insurgency that once again threatens to overmatch local security forces in both Iraq and Syria. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is issuing a map update depicting ISIS’s current operating areas based on an analysis of its activity from January 1, 2018 to October 1, 2018 . Note: This map depicts ISIS’s ope...