The Freewheeling Diplomat
The Freewheeling Diplomat -- Colin Cleary -- served for over three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service. Free now to speak for himself, he offers a practitioner's perspective on key U.S. Foreign Policy challenges. Drawing on his years at U.S. Embassies in Ukraine, Russia and Poland -- as well as other postings -- he has been devoting particular attention to Russia's war on Ukraine. As the podcast moves forward, the Freewheeling Diplomat will be expanding to other topics. Colin Cleary is an Adjunct Professor of U.S. Foreign Policy at George Washington University.
The Freewheeling Diplomat
Roots of Russian Military Failure in Ukraine: A Veteran U.S. Marine Russia Watcher Explains
I spoke with Mike Purcell who had decades of experience as a Russia watcher for the U.S. Marines. Mike, now retired and teaching at GW University, brings unique operational, strategic and area expertise to the analysis of Russian military performance. He led a combined armed force of 800 marines and 200 vehicles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was later a Foreign Area Officer in Russia and a Liaison at the UN Observer Mission in Tbilisi, Georgia. Mike was also Director for Strategic Planning for Marine Forces Europe at EUCOM. We discussed the brutal culture of the Russian military, including the tradition of widespread hazing. Mike provided historical context to Russia's use of proxy forces, such as the Wagner Group and Chechen militias. We also reviewed the state of play in Kherson and Bakhmut. Mike cautioned that the Russian military can -- and does -- learn from failure. Optimism about the poor performance of Russian forces to date should thus not breed overconfidence.