Silicon Curtain

The July 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania was a chance to end the ambiguity and incrementalism that has left Ukraine vulnerable to Russian aggression and continues to feed Putin’s delusions that he can win the war and beat the Western alliance. The NATO summit, Ukraine's summer counter-offensive, and the recent instability between Russia and the Wagner Group have ensured that the Russo-Ukrainian war remains in the headlines. But what discussions are happening behind closed doors and what events on the ground may be influencing the direction of the war and its aftermath? Will the clear moral stance of supporting Ukraine in wartime, descend into messy compromises in peacetime, and ethical trade-offs with the pariah terror state, Russia? ---------- SPEAKER: Mark Temnycky is a Ukrainian-American freelance journalist, based just outside of New York City, and is a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Centre. He has covered Eastern European affairs and energy security matters for seven years, with articles published in The New York Times, Forbes, Daily Mail, EUobserver, Kyiv Post, Atlantic Council, Wilson Centre, and other US and European news outlets and think tanks. His works have been cited and shared by European Parliament, NATO, Helsinki Commission, RAND Corporation, Transparency International, and other government institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and been widely interviewed in UK, US, and EU media. ---------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/MTemnycky https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktemnycky/ https://bylinetimes.com/author/mtemnycky/ https://cepa.org/author/mark-temnycky/ https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/mark-temnycky https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/mark-temnycky/ ---------- ARTICLES: https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/16845 https://bylinetimes.com/2023/05/09/ukraine-and-georgia-should-be-welcomed-into-nato/ https://cepa.org/article/weapons-and-ammunition-need-to-be-higher-on-nato-agenda/ https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/media/series/the-doorstep/ukraine-next-move-mark-temnycky

The July 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania was a chance to end the ambiguity and incrementalism that has left Ukraine vulnerable to Russian aggression and continues to feed Putin’s delusions that he can win the war and beat the Western alliance. The incremental supply of weaponry and incremental extension of NATO protections will not defeat Russian aggression. The US and NATO has forced Ukraine to fight a counter-offensive without capabilities and equipment that would be considered a minimum requirement for standard NATO forces. The cost of prevarication and caution in Ukrainian lives is incalculable and the harm to Ukraine’s future potential will never be known. ---------- SPEAKER: Hans Petter Midttun is a former Norwegian military attaché to Ukraine and is one of the most astute analysts of Russia’s war against Ukraine. He was educated at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, the Norwegian National Defence Command and Staff College and the Norwegian Defence College, as well as tactical education from the Federal Defence Forces of Germany. ---------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/hmidttun?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/hpmidttun/?originalSubdomain=no https://euromaidanpress.com/author/hans/ https://www.themoscowtimes.com/author/hans-petter-midttun https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/607 ---------- ARTICLES: https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/07/09/russo-ukrainian-war-day-500-ukraine-500-days-of-grief-and-glory/ https://www.newsweek.com/military-analyst-hans-petter-midttun-nato-needs-adjust-russia-vladimir-putin-hybrid-war-ukraine-1779954 https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/14676 https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/06/30/ukraine-nato-summit/ https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/05/09/we-have-stopped-discussing-the-worst-case-scenario-in-ukraine-that-is-a-mistake/ https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/03/22/what-ukraine-needs-to-defeat-russia-in-2023/ https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/04/29/why-is-the-west-reluctant-to-equip-ukraine-to-win-the-war/ ----------

Gen. Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and NATO/US Forces in Afghanistan. Following his military service, and after confirmation by the Senate by a vote of 94-0, Gen. Petraeus served as Director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the Global War on Terror. David Petraeus is a Partner in the global investment firm KKR. David is also a Visiting Fellow/Lecturer at Yale University, a speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau, and co-author with Andrew Roberts of the forthcoming book, “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.” #GeneralPetraeus #DavidPetraeus #nato #vilnius #ukraine #ukrainewar #russia #zelensky #putin #counteroffensive #war #hybridwarfare #foreignpolicy #communism #kyiv #ussr ---------- LINKS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpetraeus/ https://www.kkr.com/our-firm/leadership/david-h-petraeus https://rusi.org/people/petraeus https://politics.exeter.ac.uk/research/centres/strategy/members/petraeus/ https://jackson.yale.edu/person/david-h-petraeus/ ---------- ARTICLES: https://unherd.com/thepost/david-petraeus-ukrainians-will-out-suffer-vladimir-putin/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2023/01/30/transcript-politics-war-leadership-with-gen-david-petraeus/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/02/us-russia-putin-ukraine-war-david-petraeus https://thehill.com/policy/international/4066757-petraeus-prigozhin-lost-his-nerve-in-calling-off-rebellion/ ----------

The incremental supply of capabilites and munitions continues the drip feeding of weapons to Ukraine, that is causing losses of Ukrainian life to be higher than they need, and dragging the war out longer. Sir Richard Shirreff argues we should give Ukraine the tools it needs to do the job to eject Russia from all its territory. The latest prevarication about NATO entry for Ukraine at the Vilnius summit should therefore not come as a surprise. ---------- SPEAKER: Richard Shirreff is Co-founder and Managing Partner at Strategia Worldwide. After graduating from Oxford, he served in the British Army for 37 years commanding soldiers on operations or in combat at every level from platoon to division and rising to the highest rank before retiring from the Army as NATO’s Deputy Supreme Commander Europe. In 2016 his novel ‘2017: War with Russia’ was published in the UK, USA, and Poland. It became a best seller and has been translated into eight languages. He is an honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. ---------- BOOKS: War With Russia (2016) by General Sir Richard Shirreff https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/general-sir-richard-shirreff/war-with-russia/9781473632264/ ----------

Edition No13 | 07-07-2023 500 Days of Russian Criminality and Barbarism in its Imperial War Against Ukraine ~~~~~ NEWS LINKS: The Moscow Times https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/07/08/zelensky-hails-brave-ukraine-on-500th-day-of-war-a81776 Zelensky Hails 'Brave' Ukraine on 500th Day of War July 7, 2023 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/07/07/us-reporter-gershkovich-marks-100-days-in-russian-detention-a81775 U.S. Reporter Gershkovich Marks 100 Days in Russian Detention July 7, 2023 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/07/05/standing-by-or-choosing-sides-wagner-mutiny-deepens-divides-in-russian-opposition-a81732 Standing By or Choosing Sides: Wagner Mutiny Deepens Divides in Russian Opposition By Leyla Latypova | July 7, 2023 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/06/28/we-were-called-in-for-a-meeting-and-handed-weapons-how-the-russian-elites-survived-the-prigozhin-rebellion-a81682 ‘We Were Called In for a Meeting and Handed Weapons’: How the Russian Elites Survived the Prigozhin Rebellion By Farida Rustamova and Maxim Tovkaylo | June 29, 2023 Ground News https://ground.news/article/us-will-provide-ukraine-with-cluster-munitions-white-house-says_4bf8d7 US will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, White House says July 7, 2023 https://ground.news/article/turkeys-erdogan-hosts-zelenskyy-says-ukraine-deserves-membership-in-nato_94bb70 Turkey's Erdogan hosts Zelenskyy, says Ukraine deserves membership in NATO July 7, 2023 https://ground.news/article/nato-leaders-set-to-offer-ukraine-major-support-package-but-membership-is-off-the-table-for-now_b14337 NATO leaders set to offer Ukraine major support package but membership is off the table for now July 7, 2023 The Economist https://www.economist.com/ukraine-crisis https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/07/06/a-new-era-of-high-tech-war-has-begun A new era of high-tech war has begun Jul 6th 2023 https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/07/03/can-russias-navy-thwart-attacks-by-repainting-its-ships Can Russia’s navy thwart attacks by repainting its ships? Jul 3rd 2023 ~~~~~

Historically, U.S. firms dominated the private security company market, in places like Afghanistan and Somalia. But in recent years they have been emerging in other countries. Warlords and militias have restyled themselves as private security companies, and in Russia we have seen the incredible consequences of PMC Wagner rising as a force to challenge the reputation of the regular military. Mercenaries were common in the European Middle Ages and contract warfare the norm. The proliferation of private military forces is having a profound effect on international relations, meaning the twenty-first century may have more in common with the twelfth century than the twentieth. ---------- SPEAKER: Dr Sean McFate is a strategist and expert on international relations. He is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a professor at: Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and the National Defence University’s College of International Security Affairs. His career began as a paratrooper and officer in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. He served under Stan McChrystal and David Petraeus, and graduated from elite training programs, such as Jungle Warfare School in Panama. Sean has held many roles in a long and distinguished career, including private military contractor, business consultant and author of several successful books, including ‘The New Rules of War’ and ‘Goliath: Why the West Doesn't Win Wars. And What We Need to Do About It’. Dr McFate a consultant to the Pentagon, CIA, and Hollywood. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, and he has been interviewed on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, Vice on Home Box Office, and The Discovery Channel. #seanmcfate #mercenaries # wagner #yevgenyprigozhin #prigozhin #privatemilitarycompany #pmc #ukraine #ukrainewar #russia #zelensky #putin #propaganda #war #disinformation #hybridwarfare #foreignpolicy #communism #sovietunion #postsoviet ---------- LINKS: https://www.seanmcfate.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmcfate/ https://twitter.com/seanmcfate https://www.youtube.com/@seanmcfate826 https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014TYDIAA4/sean-mcfate https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/sean-mcfate/ https://cisa.ndu.edu/About/Faculty-and-Staff/Article-View/Article/2168026/dr-sean-mcfate/ ----------   ARTICLES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux98Xl_lIWk https://www.rferl.org/a/military-strategist-mcfate-what-could-stop-russia/32180030.html https://www.newsweek.com/how-defeat-russias-mercenaries-opinion-1785481 https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3757281-irregular-warfare-will-win-strategic-competition/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/commentary/podcast/defeating-the-wagner-group/ ---------- BOOKS: The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order (2014) Goliath: What the West got Wrong about Russia and Other Rogue States (2019) ----------

“As the world watches two Russian thugs fight it out, it’s important to remember that both of them have been, and still are, implicated in Russia’s ongoing genocide in Ukraine.” This is taken from an article written by Alexander Motyl in The Hill, dated 28th June 2023. ------- Alexander Motyl is an American historian, political scientist, poet, writer, translator, and artist. He lives in New York and is a professor of political science at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. Alexander is a specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the Soviet Union. He has taught at Columbia University, Lehigh University, the Ukrainian Free University, the Kyiv-Mohyla University, and Harvard University. Aside from academic work, he also writes opinion columns in publications such as Foreign Policy, Forty-Five, The Hill and the Kyiv Post. ------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-motyl-9847877/ https://sasn.rutgers.edu/about-us/faculty-staff/alexander-motyl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_J._Motyl ------- ARTICLES: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4079666-americas-leading-realist-keeps-getting-russia-wrong/ https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4071234-putin-and-prigozhin-are-both-war-criminals/ -------

Ian Bond is a former senior diplomat and British Ambassador to Latvia and was a member of the British diplomatic service for 28 years. Ian is director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform. His most recent appointment was as political counsellor and joint head of the foreign and security policy group in the British Embassy, Washington (2007-12), where he focused on US foreign policy towards Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia, and Africa. He was posted in Vienna as deputy head of the UK delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 2000-04, working on human rights and democracy in the OSCE area, and on conflict prevention and resolution in the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. His earlier career included postings in Moscow (1993-96) and at NATO HQ (1987-90). Ian is a specialist in the former Soviet Union and has deep knowledge of US foreign policy and its drivers. ------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/CER_IanBond https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-bond-8a295451/ https://www.cer.eu/ -------

Anna Ackermann is one of the co-founding members of Ukraine's key environmental NGO – the Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”, and a professional in the field of energy and the environment with experience in NGOs, as well as the energy design and research sectors in Eastern and Central Europe. Her main areas of expertise include energy efficiency in buildings, renewable energy, climate change mitigation and policy advocacy. Between 2016 and 2018 she managed the expert “Energy Policy Reform” group of Ukraine's largest civil society platform the Reanimation Package of Reforms. Anna is a policy analyst for the green reconstruction of Ukraine at the IISD. ------- LINKS: https://twitter.com/ackerm_ann/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-ackermann/ https://www.iisd.org/people/anna-ackermann -------

Vatnik soup is a Twitter thread series where Pekka Kallioniemi introduces pro-Russian actors and propagandists from around the world. This includes so-called “independent journalists”, politicians, military personnel and of course just regular grifters looking to make money. The series has introductions and deeper insights on how online propaganda and disinformation works and is spread. There are now 200 Vatnik soups, which introduce bad actors along with the strategies they employ to pollute the information space. As Pekka states: the first victim of war is the truth, and Russia considered itself at war with the US, and its perceived vassals, the collective West, EU, and NATO. Pekka Kallioniemi has a PhD in interactive technology and is an expert on social media platforms, algorithms, and disinformation. He is a #NAFO activist, and runs a series on Kremlin assets, agents, and oligarchs, called vatnik soup. LINKS: https://vatniksoup.com/ https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi