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Stephen Blank

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Stephen Blank is a professor of Russian National Security Studies at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania. He has published over 700 articles and monographs on Soviet/Russian, U.S., Asian, and European military and foreign policies, testified frequently before Congress on Russia, China, and Central Asia, consulted for the CIA, major think tanks and foundations, chaired major international conferences in the USA and abroad in Florence, Prague, and London, and has been a commentator on foreign affairs in the media in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Blank's M.A. and Ph.D. are in Russian History from the University of Chicago. His B.A is in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

Articles written by Stephen Blank

Russia and Iran's Missiles

By Stephen Blank 09 Feb 2009 | World Politics Review

Even though Moscow claims to welcome the Obama administration's initiative to engage in direct talks with Iran, it is unlikely to alter its public stance that Iran is neither building a nuclear weapon nor presenting a missile threat. Given all the evidence to the contrary, as well as Iran's proximity to Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, we need to understand why Russia adopts this posture.

Military Rivalry in Central Asia

By Stephen Blank 22 Dec 2008 | World Politics Review

The attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing war in Afghanistan did not start the new "Great Game" in Central Asia. Local governments had already grasped the Islamist threat and Russia's neo-imperial longings, and the region's great energy stakes had already determined American resistance to Moscow's policy. But those events undoubtedly imparted a pronounced military aspect to the great power rivalry there.