Donald Thieme

About Donald Thieme

Donald Thieme retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 and now works in the War Gaming Division of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the Naval War College. He is an Olmsted Scholar and Foreign Area Officer for Eastern Europe, and has spent more than 14 years either deployed or stationed overseas. His views are his own and not those of the Naval War College, U.S. Department of the Navy or the U.S. Defense Department.

Recent Posts By the Author


Policy Options for Ukraine Standoff

Policy Options for Ukraine Standoff

By:
An anti-Putin protester. Reuters Photo

An anti-Putin protester. Reuters Photo

This is the second of two articles on the current crisis in Ukraine and on possible policy options for the international community. The first was on history of conflict in the region. 

The Ukraine’s current turmoil and the standoff in the Crimea make for a complex strategic issue in Russia’s near-abroad, where Russia holds many of the cards to advantage.

But the leaders of Western Europe, Ukraine, and the United States are not bereft of policy options either. Read More →

A Brief History of Conflict in Ukraine

A Brief History of Conflict in Ukraine

By:
Russian troops in the Crimea region of Ukraine. Reuters Photo

Russian troops in the Crimea region of Ukraine. Reuters Photo

This is the first of two articles on the current crisis in Ukraine and on the history of conflict in the region. The second will outline possible policy options for the international community.

The events of the last three weeks have catapulted Ukraine to the forefront of the U.S. policy agenda, sparking an intense crisis of confidence between the United States and Russia—the worst since 1979. Read More →