What Happens if Russia Stashes Nukes in Belarus
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
The dictator of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has signed an agreement with Russia to base Russian nuclear weapons in his country. The strategic impact of such a move is negligible, but a lot can go wrong with this foolish plan.
First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:
- The play that explains Succession (and everything else)
- The Russian red line Washington won’t cross—yet.
- COVID shots are still one giant experiment.
- The far right is splintering.
A Tense Summer
Russia has taken another step toward nuclearizing its satrapy in neighboring Belarus. This is bad news but not a crisis (yet). But first, I want to add a note to what I wrote a few weeks ago about the drone attack on the Kremlin.
I suggested that the weird strike on a Kremlin building was unlikely to be an act sanctioned or carried out by the Ukrainian government. My best guess at The U.S. intelligence community, however, now thinks the strike could have been some kind of Ukrainian special operation. Those same American analysts, to , are not exactly sure who authorized action against the Russian capital:
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days