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Articles by John Lough

opinion John Lough

How Russia Helped NATO Rediscover Itself

Deepening divisions in the European Union that came to a dramatic head with the Brexit vote have not found their way into NATO. Instead, the Alliance appears...
opinion John Lough

Gazprom Is Facing a Perfect Storm (Op-Ed)

A perfect storm has struck Gazprom: falling gas prices, increasing competition and a transformation in the way gas is sold internationally have coincided...
opinion John Lough

West Has Changed Its Thinking on Russia (Op-Ed)

The last 15 months have forced the West to change its thinking on Russia, writes columnist John Lough.
opinion John Lough

Putin's Mixed Messages Show Loss of Control

President Vladimir Putin's messages to his domestic and foreign audiences are escalating tensions with Western countries and forcing him to up the stakes...
opinion John Lough

West Must Stick to Its Guns in Ukraine

As they struggle to stop the fighting in Ukraine, Western leaders must not lose sight of President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reshape the international...
opinion John Lough

Putin's Options Are Narrowing Down

What made President Vladimir Putin decide to annex Crimea continues to defy easy analysis. It is still unclear why exactly he chose to take this radical...
opinion John Lough

Honeymoon Is Over for Russia and Germany

Pressure for a re-evaluation of Germany's Russia policy has been growing since 2012.
opinion John Lough

Yevtushenkov Is a Warning to Russian Business

The early September arrest of Vladimir Yevtushenkov, the majority owner of the industrial conglomerate Sistema and one of Russia's richest men, has...
opinion John Lough

Interfering in Ukraine Is Risky Business for Russia

Friday Sept. 5 marked the start of a new era of division in Europe. The NATO summit in Wales declared that for the first time since the end of the...
opinion John Lough

Putin Needs an 'Off-Ramp' for Ukraine's Crisis

If ever an "off-ramp" were needed for Putin, it is now.
opinion John Lough

EU Plays Hardball With Russia on Gas Issue

The EU has kicked Russia's South Stream project into the long grass.
opinion John Lough

4 Problems Awaiting Putin in Ukraine Gambit

As the Ukrainian crisis intensifies, Western policymakers are still struggling to come to terms with the logic of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
opinion John Lough

The Kremlin Miscalculates Again in Ukraine

For the second time in a decade, Russia's policy toward Ukraine has disrupted the country's delicate balance, turning its contradictions into conflicts...
opinion John Lough

The EU Should Maximize Its Soft Power

Manipulated by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and outplayed by President Vladimir Putin, the European Union has emerged with a bloodied nose...
opinion John Lough

Russia's Public Relations Disaster in the North

The Russian authorities' handling of the attempted protest by Greenpeace at a Gazprom drilling rig in the Pechora Sea in mid-September once again...
opinion John Lough

Rosneft Replaces Gazprom as Super-Champion

Putin likely concluded that Gazprom, which was once a symbol of Russian power, has become more of a liability.
opinion John Lough

Why Dvorkovich and Sechin's Turf War Is Public

Rival groups fighting for control of Russia's vast energy sector are caught in a standoff.
opinion John Lough

No More Teflon Putin

President-elect Vladimir Putin is returning to the Kremlin as a diminished figure. With nearly 64 percent of the vote in the March 4 election, he can...