David DeBatto at Robert Lansing Institute

The Death (and possible rebirth) of HUMINT in America

America today has an almost nonexistent human intelligence (HUMINT) gathering capability in several key nations, and that poses a direct threat to U.S. national security. This lack of human eyes…

June 24, 2020HUMINT, USA

Geopolitics

Lithuania and Russia: Is Conflict Inevitable Between These Once and Future Empires?

This is the second in a series of three essays exploring the current strained relationship between Russia and the Baltic nations The relationship between Lithuania and Russia goes back hundreds…

June 5, 2020David DeBatto, Lithuania

Opinion

Russia-Poland Relations: The Worst Since World War Two and Rapidly Deteriorating

Like all the nations of eastern Europe, Poland spent many years under Russian/Soviet rule. Except for brief periods of independence from 1794 -1795, and then again from 1918 - 1939,…

June 1, 2020David DeBatto, Poland, Russia

Intelligence ops

An Act of War: The Kremlin’s Relentless Cyber Attacks on the United States

For many years, the Kremlin has been engaged in a cyberwar against the west, however, this essay will focus only on Russian actions against the United States. Kremlin aggression against NATO…

May 18, 2020David DeBatto, GRU, Russia, USA

Situation Reports Governance

Will Iraq Survive the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Even before the Covid-19 tsunami washed over the world, Iraq was at best, a fragile democracy barely hanging on in the wake of almost daily street protests, a revolving door government, and…

May 11, 2020coronavirus, David DeBatto, Iraq

Conflict

Moscow’s Middle-East Adventure: Is Russian Support for the Syrian Regime Wag the Dog?

Why is Moscow continuing to send troops to fight and die in the deserts of Syria while simultaneously fighting the rapidly growing Covid-19 pandemic at home? Russian military forces, both regular military…

May 6, 2020David DeBatto, Russia, Syria

Situation Reports Healthcare

Will the Russian Healthcare System Collapse Under the Weight of the Coronavirus Pandemic?

“This country has 100 billionaires, and yet more than a third of Russians can’t afford to buy two pairs of shoes a year” – Physician at rural Russian hospital Vladimir Putin proudly…

April 22, 2020Covid-19, David DeBatto, Russia

Conflict Estimates

Standing Up to the Russian Bear: Will Russia Deploy Little Green Men Against Estonia After the Pandemic Ends?

The small Baltic nation of Estonia was considered a “vassal” state (Soviet Republic) within the U.S.S.R. from the time of its invasion and occupation by Soviet forces on June 17, 1940 until August…

April 15, 2020David DeBatto, Estonia, Russia

Estimates Opinion

The Russian Army Versus Social Media Savvy Russian Youth: Has VKontakte Degraded the Readiness of the Russian Army?

Central to Russian foreign and domestic policy is the requirement of a strong army. Since at least the mid-19thcentury several Russian leaders, clerics and philosophers have espoused the notion that…

April 9, 2020David DeBatto, Russia

Situation Reports Healthcare

Russian COVID-19 Numbers as Dangerous Propaganda

For weeks now, official Russian government news outlets have been proudly trumpeting the news that Russia has an astronomically low rate of infections and fatalities from the coronavirus in comparison…

April 1, 2020Covid-19, Russia

Posts by David DeBatto