During the several weeks of their actual duration, the exercises fulfil the General Staff’s presidentially mandated task to organise and test the transition of the Russian Federation from peace to war. The scheduled strategic exercises (ZAPAD, VOSTOK, TSENTR, KAVKAZ) are the capstone event of the Russian Armed Forces’ annual training cycle. At their 2018 Summit in Brussels, Allied leaders declared that Russia’s aggressive actions, including the threat and use of force to attain political goals, challenge the Alliance and are undermining Euro-Atlantic security and the rules-based international order. Russia’s revived military power is a central element of the destabilisation campaign that it has been conducting in the Euro-Atlantic area for the last ten years. The capabilities developed enabled Russia’s aggressive actions against Ukraine in 2014 and its rapid intervention in Syria in 2015. The comprehensive military reform and modernisation efforts launched after the war with Georgia, including the exercise programme, have transformed the Russian Armed Forces into an effective tool in Russia’s destabilisation campaign against the West, with major implications for Euro-Atlantic security. It is underpinned by the Russian leadership’s interpretation of the ‘Colour Revolutions’ of the 1990s and early 2000s as, from Moscow’s perspective, a non-kinetic form of destabilisation operation waged by Western powers. This overhaul reflects Moscow’s evolving strategic worldview in line with the Russian perception that conflict can break out with little or no warning in multiple strategic directions. The conflict exposed significant capability shortfalls in the Russian Armed Forces and sparked the military overhaul that continues to this day. Russia’s first use of military force to revise the Euro-Atlantic security environment came in August 2008 in its short war against Georgia. This multidimensional campaign is the proper context within which to consider Russia’s strategic exercises and illuminates their instrumentality for achieving its foreign, security and defence policy aims – and the related implications for the security of NATO Allies. Military exercises and operations are part of that campaign. To these ends, Russia has launched a strategic destabilisation campaign against the post-Cold War liberal order, which President Putin views as counter to Russia’s long-term interests. Just say Yes, Yes, Yes! I couldn't resist and nor should you.Russia’s chief foreign and defence policy aims are to reassert a leading role for itself on the world scene to disrupt the current European security architecture to force negotiation of a new one and to rebuild a security perimeter against perceived external threats (primarily the United States and its NATO Allies). “Fener”, “Gibraltar” and the title track lead the way and are some of the band's finest songs. Playful piano melodies feature throughout the record and the band's every-instrument-but-the-kitchen-sink ethos is in full effect. This release features Beirut at its funkiest and most joyful, yet it wouldn't be a Beirut album without a dirge or two. I would put this as the logical extension of the RealPeople Holland release from 2009. However, it is an endlessly enjoyable suite of well-sung songs of interest to those familiar with Zach and his merry band of music makers. This, Beirut's 4ad debut, is another flight of fancy in his feathered cap.Ī word of warning: this is not the high-water mark for this band. His unmistakable singing style makes No, No, No a unique listening experience.īy this point in an inspired career, Condon has come around the bend from his early inspirational world music-tinged releases to a more honed-in singer/songwriter model. Chief among them is Beirut's Zach Condon. The number of true crooners working the world's indie rock circuit can be counted on one hand.
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