NATO Eastern Flank: Continuity and New Accents in the U.S. Policies in Eastern Europe under the Biden Administration

Specific traits of the U.S. policies in Eastern Europe in the first months of the Joe Biden presidency are pre-determined primarily by the Democrats’ desire to normalize the U.S. relationship with the major Western European allies and the EU as a whole, spoiled under Donald Trump. This task makes it necessary to abandon artificial opposing of Eastern Europe to Western Europe. The Biden administration attaches major importance to the issue of common liberal values, which creates certain problems in relations with some East European governments, like Hungary or Poland. Political and diplomatic steps of the new administration in the region, both in a bilateral format and through multilateral forums (in particular the Three Seas Initiative), have revealed, on the one hand, the U.S. desire to keep protecting the security of the region in the face of the Russian and, increasingly Chinese, challenge; on the other hand, lower priority attached to "energy wars" with Russia, gradual waiving of sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, as well as Biden's unwillingness to sacrifice relations with Germany and other Western European allies for the sake of specific interests of countries like Poland, which were conceived by the Trump administration as a counterweight to Western Europe.

Modern Transatlantic Relations: Key Challenges for US and Russian Interests

In his presentation, the speaker focuses on the problems in relations between the United States and its European NATO allies. Firstly, he talks about the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, that Sergey M. Rogov considers the first serious defeat of the Western countries since the foundation of NATO. At the same time, he notes the significant military and economic contribution of the U.S. allies to the operation in Afghanistan, and the fact that the US did not take into account the opinion of its allies as well as the issues that may await European countries and the alliance as a whole in this regard. Second, the speaker notes the huge difference in military spending and military capabilities between the United States and the European allies, and concludes that NATO countries will continue to be militarily dependent on the United States. In nuclear sphere, despite the approval of the START III extension by the Biden administration, European countries did not actively resist the collapse of the INF Treaty and the U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty. The forthcoming deployment of American missiles in Poland and the Baltic states will further exacerbate of the NATO-Russia crisis. J. Biden's support for the sole purpose concept, which to certain extent implies no first use of nuclear weapons, jeopardizes the U.S. security obligations towards its European allies. Fourth, there is the problem of "new" NATO members, which make minimal contribution to common security, but require economic support and protection from possible Russian aggression. In conclusion, the problem of the U.S.-China confrontation is considered, where the US is actively seeking to involve European countries.

Federal Export Development Infrastructure in Canada

Canada is one of the leading economically developed countries and is among the most involved in international trade. Performance of the Canadian economy largely depends on the realization of Canadian businesses’ export potential. The article examines Canada’s federal export development infrastructure. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the activities of the federal state corporations Export Development Canada and Canadian Commercial Corporation, as well as of the Trade Commissioner Service. The paper also studies recent trends and structure of Canadian exports.

Does the administration have J. Biden's foreign policy doctrine?

The goals of this article are the following: First, to analyze shortly major ideas and suggestions of American experts concerning ways to correct US foreign policy after Trump. Second, to clarity main elements of Biden administration behavior on the international arena, and are there enough evidence, that the present administration managed to develop its foreign policy doctrine, which some of American experts already called “realistic pragmatism”. Third, to give preliminary evaluation of the consequences of the withdraw of USA troops from Afghanistan for America positions and its foreign policy. Forth, to analyze international and domestic difficulties in the course of realizing the administration approaches towards solving international problems. Fifth, to clarify the role of Russia the within o foreign policy priorities of Washington.

Britain between the U.S. and Europe

Prime Minister T. May has put forward the concept of "Global Britain". After the United Kingdom had left the EU, the concept was formalized under the government of Boris Johnson in the document “Integrated Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy "Global Britain in a Competitive Age"”. The article presents an analysis of its goals, methods and practical implementation. Britain, realizing itself as a "middle power", intends to build a system of alliances to counter China and Russia, the latter designated as an ”acute direct threat” to the UK.

US Agriculture in the Past 30 Years: Structural Changes

Over the past 30 years, a series of inter-related changes in land-use pattern, business arrangements, farm structure, and production practices combined to expand output without increasing the use of total inputs. Moreover, by allowing farmers to increase U.S. agricultural production through increased productivity instead of expanded land and chemical use, many of these innovations helped to limit the impact of agricultural production on the environment. Meanwhile, new technologies (such as precision agriculture) have required additional labor use, a differentiated approach to the specialization of production, and stimulated the concentration of resources, capital and efforts on the production of certain products, which allowed some farmers to increase the size of their operations. As a result, the number of large farms increased 8 times, and their share in the country's agricultural production increased to 62%. Although production has shifted dramatically to larger farms, 97 percent of all farms remain family farms, generating 82 percent of the total value of U.S. agricultural production.

Biden’s China policy: concepts, events, preliminary results

Biden’s foreign policy team worked out the new concept of its relations with China. The main idea of this concept is more nuanced approach to China’s behavior, reassessing bilateral ties with China to separate the spheres of confrontation, regulated competition and possible cooperation for commonly shared goals. However, this concept and ideology still failed to be applied to practical policy. Biden’s many steps towards China, especially in economic and military realms, are in fact showing the inertia and obvious continuity with Trump’s policies. In political sphere, Biden’s stress for «human rights» issues, so typical for Democratic Party, make the dialogue with China the same unproductive, as it was in the Trump’s era. In economic relations Biden’s administration is not cancelling high trade tariffs on China goods, being oriented on “regulated trade” approach in its ties with PRC. Biden’s administration is more successful and active than Trump in pushing through Congress the legislation for spending on innovation and technological upgrading of the U.S. economy, that is vital to successful competition with China.

On the way to the "second quantum revolution": Security risks and the US-China technological rivalry

The article examines the prospects and risks associated with the development of quantum technologies in the perspective of the US-China technological rivalry. In the coming decades, quantum technologies will act as a driving force for technological development, and the priority in the development and use of this innovative technology will pave the way for global technological leadership in national security, digital economy, military and defense industries. A number of future risks are predicted, among them those related to the socially fair use of quantum technologies, geopolitical and national security aspects of their use, and the need to create regulatory mechanisms (including international ones) and standards for quantum technologies. The question is raised about the current ethical initiatives of the IT and business communities to prevent the risks associated with quantum technologies in the future.

Eroding Arms Control Regime and US-Russia Relations

Two weeks after Joseph Biden took office as President, the U.S. and Russia extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty for five years. This landmark arms control treaty limits the number of strategic offensive weapons each country can have. A ‘window of opportunity’ for a new stage of strategic stability discussions on arms control has opened. Strategic competition between the world’s most powerful countries, escalating global and regional threats, accelerating technological advances in the military sphere, which hold the potential to have a transformative impact on arms forces and military conflicts, have given added urgency to the bilateral dialogue on arms control between the two nuclear superpowers. Political barriers to a new agreement are significant. The perilous state of U.S.-Russia relations, lack of trust and mutual suspicion make it more difficult for the two powers to have sustainable negotiations toward a new treaty. However, if political will is in place coupled with a realistic approach and the United States’ readiness to address Russia’s concerns, a follow-on agreement could be reached.