{"666987":{"#nid":"666987","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Russian Approach Risks Confusion, Escalation, Experts Warn at Nunn School Event ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERussia\u2019s ambiguous red lines and coercive tactics in its conflict with Ukraine could potentially lead to misperceptions resulting in dangerous escalations of the conflict, experts warned at a panel discussion sponsored by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cistp.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRussia\u0027s discourse on red lines is marked by ambiguity and uncertainty, leading to a lack of clarity on both threats and consequences,\u0022 Adam N. Stulberg, Sam Nunn Professor and Chair in the Nunn School, said during the \u201cDeciphering Putin\u2019s Red Lines\u201d panel discussion held March 28.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis ambiguity aligns with Russia\u0027s broader understanding of coercion, focusing on intimidation and manipulation of uncertainty instead of credibility and commitment,\u201d \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/adam-n-stulberg\u0022\u003EStulberg \u003C\/a\u003Esaid.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGen. Philip Breedlove, distinguished professor of the practice in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ENunn School\u003C\/a\u003E and former NATO commander, said he worries about the effects such confusion may have on Western leaders.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022My fear is we\u0027re beginning to even see in the political elite in Washington, a sort of callousness beginning to form about the multiple levels and the constant levels of this coercive threatening for deterrence,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStulberg pointed out that Russia\u0027s actions do not stem from an irrational or anxious leader but are part of a cold, calculated strategy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Russia is engaging in a long-term competition across multiple different domains that is focused on blurring distinctions between peace and war and between what is acceptable versus unacceptable as part of a posture of opportunistic probing and manipulation,\u0022 he explained. This approach, Stulberg said, aims to confuse adversaries and lead them to \u201cfumble on their own divisiveness, ultimately becoming self-deterred.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPutin is succeeding when it comes to issues such as creating a sanctuary space protected by Western militaries in Ukraine and the kinds of weapons the West is willing to provide Ukraine\u2019s military, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/philip-breedlove\u0022\u003EBreedlove \u003C\/a\u003Esaid. However, he warned that the constant coercive threats could lead to more radical actions in response.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u2019s not time for radical solutions. It\u0027s time for measured solutions,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe panel also featured Dan Altman, an assistant professor of political science at Georgia State University, who offered a survey of what red lines are and how they can be interpreted, and Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice in Russian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, who noted Russia uses red lines for more than just deterrence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Russia has been trying to convince China to provide more significant support for Russia\u0027s war effort by leveraging the red line of Russia\u0027s failure or possible failure in Ukraine,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inta.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/jenna-jordan\u0022\u003EJenna Jordan\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor and associate chair of the Nunn School, moderated.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Nunn School is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThere\u0027s lots of confusion when it comes to how Russia talks about \u0022red lines,\u0022 Nunn School experts say.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"There\u0027s lots of confusion when it comes to how Russia talks about \u0022red lines,\u0022 Nunn School experts say."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2023-03-31 17:44:37","changed_gmt":"2023-03-31 17:46:55","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670392":{"id":"670392","type":"image","title":"Gen. Philip Breedlove speaks at the \u0022Deciphering Putin\u0027s Red Lines\u0022 panel discussion.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGen. Phillip Breedlove, right, distinguished professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and former NATO commander, speaks while Adam N. Stulberg,\u0026nbsp;Sam Nunn Professor and Chair in the Nunn School, listens during a panel discussion on Russia\u0027s use of \u0022red lines\u0022 in the conflict with Ukraine. The discussion was held on March 28, 2023, in the Exhibition Hall on the Georgia Tech campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1680276847","gmt_created":"2023-03-31 15:34:07","changed":"1680276847","gmt_changed":"2023-03-31 15:34:07","alt":"A man dressed in a sportscoat stands and speaks while a colleague takes notes.","file":{"fid":"253232","name":"red lines.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/red%20lines.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/03\/31\/red%20lines.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":314793,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/03\/31\/red%20lines.jpg?itok=yoFhkKYc"}}},"media_ids":["670392"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}