Russian Orthodox Church

As daunting as it may be, closing the God gap is a necessary step to improving communication with Russia and other important actors in international affairs.

Vladimir Putin recently announced that in 2018 he will run for a fourth term as President of Russia. After winning the election—which he is projected to do since he has no serious challengers—he will be the longest-serving Kremlin chief since Josef Stalin.

With the consequential economic depression, the heavy influence of Russian propaganda, the presence of former Soviet officials receiving a monthly check from Moscow, and being far from Riga in so many ways, Daugavpils appears to be NATO’s “soft” underbelly.

The growing trend among conservatives to support Putin’s Russia is problematic because Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) engage in activities that run directly contrary to U.S. national security objectives, values of Western civilization writ large, and teaching of Christian scripture.

This week in Moscow there was the usual lavish military parade, bristling with missiles and other weaponry, commemorating victory in…

Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church clearly have a close relationship, but their foreign policy in Syria is flawed.