We Have to Take Russia’s Word That It’s at War with the West: An Interview with Dr. Stephen Blank, Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council
Dr. Stephen J. Blank graduated from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (B.A., History, 1971) and University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois (M.A., Russian History, 1972; Ph.D., Russian History, 1979).
He worked for the University of California at Riverside (Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian History, 1979–1980), University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas (Assistant Professor of Russian History, 1980–1986), Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education in Montgomery, Alabama (Associate Professor of Soviet Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, 1986–1989), The United States Army War College (Professor of National Security Studies, Strategic Studies Institute, 1989–2013), and American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC (Senior Fellow for Russia, 2013 — to present).
Dr. Blank has published over 1,000 articles and monographs on Soviet/Russian, U.S., Asian, and European military and foreign policies. He authored or edited 15 books focusing on Russian foreign, energy, and military policies and on International Security in Eurasia.
On October 4, 2019, Stephen Blank attended the annual ALIANŢA/The Alliance Gala at the Romanian Embassy, in Washington, DC.
With that occasion Dr. Blank granted me an exclusive interview.
1. Dr. Stephen Blank, you are a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. Please, describe briefly this think tank and its more recent activities.
It’s a think tank that interacts a great deal with Congress and also with the public, to inform them on international issues, particularly with regard to Russia and China, but not only. They are of strategic importance. And, to enlighten the public and the Congress, it provides upon for them in analyzing and coming to terms with those issues. Recent activities: we are publishing all the time. We just recently did a primer on missile defense. I just published an edited volume on the Russian military and we did an earlier one this year on Korea.
2. Very interesting. Dr. Blank, you are a reputed expert on international security and Russia. President Donald Trump’s stance on Russia, more as a competitor than as an enemy, has attracted some criticism. Do these critics have a point, in your opinion?
In my personal opinion, yes, they do. I think Russia has long since made it clear that it’s at war with the West. And I think we have to take them at their word.
3. Last question, Dr. Blank: how do you see Eastern Europe, in general, and countries like Romania and Republic of Moldova, in particular, coping with post-Soviet Russia in the foreseeable future?
Well, that’s a huge question. I mean, we can only give a very short answer here. But the best thing that each of these countries can do for themselves is to strengthen their governance and domestic resilience, and provide economic growth and security, and good government and democracy, for that matter, to their people. But, on the wider level, all these European states need to come together in closer cooperation, regional integration. None of them alone can deal adequately with Russia. But in number it’s their strength.
4. Yes. Thank you so much, Dr. Blank.
Okay.
(October 11, 2019)
NOTE — Versions of the article were published in:
AMERICAN THINKER (El Cerrito/San Francisco, California) [+ comments]
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and
CARIBBEAN NEWS GLOBAL (Brooklyn/New York City, New York) [+ views, comments]
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and
CARIBBEAN NEWS NOW! (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) [ comments]
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and
CONSERVATIVE READ (Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona) [ comments]
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and
INTELLECTUAL CONSERVATIVE (Phoenix, Arizona) [ comments]
and
MARIANAS VARIETY (Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) [ comments]
and
MEDIUM (San Francisco, California) [100+ views; comments; 100+ likes]
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SAIPAN TRIBUNE (Garapan/Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) [ comments]
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and featured in:
320ro.com (Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom) [ comments]
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and
ACCENT (Toronto, Canada) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
ACTIVE BOARD
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and
AFRO-CONSCIOUS MEDIA (Canada; Long Beach, California) [ comments]
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and
ALTERNATIVA/THE ALTERNATIVE (Toronto, Canada) (_________ 2018) [in Romanian] [NOTE = scroll down on the journal’s home page to get the article and then press OPEN on the article]
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and
ARMONIA/THE HARMONY (Hickory/Charlotte, North Carolina) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and also
ARMONIA MAGAZINE/THE HARMONY MAGAZINE (Hickory/Charlotte, North Carolina) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
BLUNT FORCE TRUTH (Detroit, Michigan) [ comments]
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and
BURNING PLATFORM [ comments]
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and
CARIBBEAN POST (Santiago, Dominican Republic) [ comments]
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and
CLICK ROMANIA (London, United Kingdom) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
CURENTUL/THE CURRENT (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
CURENTUL INTERNAŢIONAL/THE INTERNATIONAL CURRENT (Sterling Heights/Detroit, Michigan) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
FIWEH (Okinawa, Japan) [ comments]
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and
FREE REPUBLIC (Fresno, California) [ comments]
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and
GÂNDACUL DE COLORADO/THE COLORADO BEETLE (Estes Park/Denver, Colorado) [in Romanian] [ + views; comments]
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and
GOP BRIEFING ROOM [ + views; comments]
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and
INVESTORS HUB (London, United Kingdom) [ comments]
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and
JURNAL DE CHIŞINĂU/CHIŞINĂU JOURNAL (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
LUCIANNE.COM (Cliffside Park, New Jersey) [ + comments]
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and
LUMEA ROMÂNEASCĂ/THE ROMANIAN WORLD (Grand Rapids, Michigan) [in Romanian]
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and
MENAFN (Amman, Jordan)
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and
MERIDIANUL ROMÂNESC/THE ROMANIAN MERIDIAN (Santa Clarita/Los Angeles, California) [in Romanian]
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and
MEXICAN OCCUPATION
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and
MIORIŢA USA (Sacramento, California) [in Romanian]
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and also
MIORIŢA USA (Sacramento, California), printed edition [in Romanian]
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and
MOLDOVA9/NEW MOLDOVA (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
MOLDOVA ŞTIRI/MOLDOVA NEWS (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] (300+ views; comments]
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and
MORNING IN ARIZONA [ comments]
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and
NAŢIUNEA/THE NATION (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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NEW YORK MAGAZIN/NEW YORK MAGAZINE (New York City, New York) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
OBSERVATORUL/THE OBSERVER (Toronto, Canada) [in Romanian]
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and
OCCIDENTUL ROMÂNESC/ROMANIAN WEST (Madrid, Spain)
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OFICIAL/OFFICIAL (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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PARADIGMS AND DEMOGRAPHICS (Cleveland, Ohio) [ comments]
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PROTECTORS OF LIBERTY (Mount Pleasant, Michigan) [ comments]
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QOSHE (Netherlands & Turkey)
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QWIKET (Kingston, New York) [ comments]
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and
ROMANIA JOURNAL (Bucharest, Romania) [ + views; comments]
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and
ROMANIAN TIMES (Portland, Oregon) [in Romanian]
and also
ROMANIAN TIMES (Portland, Oregon) (print edition, p. 14) [in Romanian]
and also
ROMANIAN TIMES (Portland, Oregon) (print edition, p. 14) [in Romanian]
and
SAVE AMERICA FOUNDATION (Clearwater, Florida)
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TAPATALK (Santa Monica/Los Angeles, California) [ comments]
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TIMP ROMÂNESC/ROMANIAN TIME (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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TRIBUNA/THE TRIBUNE (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [ comments]
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and also
TRIBUNA/THE TRIBUNE (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
TRIBUNA ROMÂNEASCĂ/ROMANIAN TRIBUNE (Chicago, Illinois) [in Romanian] [ comments]
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and
TRULY TIMES [ + views, comments]
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and
TRUMP’S MINUTEMEN (Fort Worth, Texas)
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and
UNIMEDIA (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian] [ + views, comments]
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and
US POLITICS 10z [ comments]
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and
ZIARUL DE GARDĂ/THE GUARD NEWSPAPER (Chişinău, Republic of Moldova) [in Romanian]
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and referenced in:
CENTRUL DE PRESĂ — PRESSPEDIA/THE PRESS CENTER — PRESSPEDIA (Bucharest, Romania) [in Romanian] [+ views]
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and
CURENTUL INTERNAŢIONAL/INTERNATIONAL CURRENT — FACEBOOK (Sterling Heights/Detroit, Michigan) [in Romanian]
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and
HUMAN RIGHTS QUARTERLY (Cincinnati, Ohio)
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and
LIBERAL FORUM
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and
MUCK RACK (New York, New York)
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and
OBAMA LIES
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and
PRESS RUSH (Turku, Finland)
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and
THY BLACK MAN [ comments]
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and
ZENITH NEWS (Duluth, Minnesota)
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NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS = 5
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