Britain’s most recent defence attaché in Moscow on the failings of Valery Gerasimov
John Foreman sees Russia’s top general as fit only to face a court
ON FEBRUARY 11TH 2022, as Russia piled up men and armour along Ukraine’s border, I listened as General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian chief of the general staff, lied to Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, his British counterpart. General Gerasimov denied planning to invade Ukraine, saying Russia didn’t need any more land. He claimed that his modernised armed forces had achieved parity with those of America. Earlier, after rehearsing a litany of false grievances, Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defence minister, told his British equivalent that Russia had no intention of going outside its borders. But neither could explain the build-up of troops.
From the March 11th 2023 edition
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Camille Grand on why Ukraine’s future turns on security guarantees
A 20,000-strong European force would be a lot more potent with an American backstop, says the former NATO official
Alex Wang on why China can’t be allowed to dominate AI-based warfare
As the “agentic” age begins, democracies can take inspiration from the past, writes the tech boss
It’s time to treat sexual violence in war as torture, writes a UN rapporteur
Alice Edwards argues that such crimes are increasingly part of military strategy
Rishi Sunak on why Ukraine should get Russia’s frozen assets, not just the interest on them
Worries that it could rock allies’ financial systems are overdone, says Britain’s former leader
Donald Trump should not replace us with his stooges, warns a fired inspector-general
Mark Greenblatt on the dangers America will face if oversight officials lose their independence
The transatlantic relationship is crumbling, says an ex-head of NATO
Anders Fogh Rasmussen argues that Europe must accept it may be alone—and spend accordingly