Alexander Clackson

Government adviser, politics PhD in progress.
Russia analyst.

Bylines in The Hill, FT, National Interest, SCMP, etc.

Resumed Twitter in 2021.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@Chris_D_Steele @RussianEmbassy Except the BBC operate freely in Russia, while RT was banned in the UK. Western journalists can ask Putin questions. When was the last time a Russian journalist asked the UK PM a question?

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

My latest analysis article in Al Jazeera: Why a weak #Iran could ultimately backfire on the United States.

Destabilising a major regional power risks fragmentation, energy shocks, uncontrolled militias and wider instability across the Middle East and beyond.

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

"Weakening Iran may appear attractive to the US from a narrow military perspective, but destabilising a large regional power rarely produces orderly outcomes."

— #AJOpinion by Alexander Clackson ⤵️https://t.co/X5ZUJOmZ1N

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@KonstantinKisin @johnredwood Let's prevent a war by doing what caused the Ukraine war in the first place. Makes sense.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

The conflict between #Zelensky and the Trump administration stems from a shift in U.S. strategy. Washington initially pushed for war in #Ukraine to weaken Russia—a goal it has largely achieved. Promising NATO membership to Ukraine was always a calculated move, knowing it crossed Russia’s red line.

The Ukraine war was, from the start, a proxy war between the U.S. and #Russia. But the Trump administration wants to end this approach, prioritizing peace over continued conflict. Zelensky, however, is unwilling to accept that his backers have moved on, leaving both him and Ukraine expendable. Now, he struggles to convince #Trump that Ukraine still matters. For Trump, Ukraine has no place in his America First agenda—hence the growing rift.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

South Vietnam held presidential elections in 1967 while facing an insurgency from the Viet Cong and attacks from North Vietnam. Lebanon conducted presidential elections amid its civil war (1975-1990), even during the Israeli invasion (1982) and Syrian intervention. Just a couple of examples that it can be done if the will is there.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@ClarkeMicah @Captain_Nemo We don't even need a hypothetical. The number of times the U.S. has carried out regime change because a country did something it didn’t approve of is astounding. Russia simply isn’t sophisticated enough to execute regime change in Ukraine, so it resorts to 20th-century methods.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@piersmorgan @ZelenskyyUa You should look into how Zelensky banned all opposition parties, opposition media, and the Orthodox Church in #Ukraine. The media narrative of him as a man with a halo is not the full story.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

This will be controversial, but I argue in my latest @thehill article that integrating #Russia into a Western security framework is essential for long-term stability. Isolation breeds conflict. Engagement is the pragmatic path forward.

https://t.co/YCiX3OCqmG

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@leonidragozin Trump's relationship with Zelensky has been sour ever since the 2019 phone call with the Ukrainian president, which led to Trump's first impeachment. It's likely that Trump views Zelensky as aligned with the Democrats, hence the dislike.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@KonstantinKisin That may be true, but most Ukrainians want peace even it it means territorial concessions. Zelensky needs to let go of the idea of "a just peace" and work towards just peace.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@DPJHodges One of Trump's election promises was to end the war in Ukraine, and he's delivering. Given the state of UK politics, it’s hard to believe that some politicians actually keep their promises after winning—but this should be welcomed.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@ChristopherJM Why is the Russian position always described as "Kremlin talking points and propaganda" while Western arguments as fact?

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@ianbremmer Zelensky said elections will be considered only after the war ends. And now he is panicking that the war might end. Maybe he just doesn't want to give up power?

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@McFaul It just doesn’t work that way in the real world. Would the U.S. allow Canada to join a Russian or Chinese military alliance?

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@MCl091571357063 @ronnyboy204633 Precisely

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

Strange times - Ukraine’s leadership and Europe oppose #Trump for wanting to end a war that should never have started. The usual mantra of 'war is bad, peace is good' has flipped. The one pushing for peace in #Ukraine️ is vilified, while warmongers are praised as heroes. Madness.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@Newsweek So basically, Zelensky is a puppet who is not yet fully expendable and needs to be kept in power regardless of whether Ukrainians support him or not.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@ChristopherJM It wasn’t Ukraine’s fault, but the West certainly played a key role in provoking the war. Ukraine was simply naive enough to believe the West cared about it, when in reality, it was merely a pawn used to weaken Russia.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

You left out the part where a Western-backed coup in Ukraine in 2014 installed an anti-Russian government intent on joining NATO. If a pro-Russian coup had taken place in Canada, followed by plans to join a Russian military alliance, rest assured the U.S. wouldn’t just let it happen.

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

@ianbremmer A war that was pointless and a failure. When was the last time NATO did something useful? It's expansion led to the Ukraine war. The only winners from NATO are military companies. I notice their stock price has surged recently...

[Alexander Clackson @alexclackson]

The continuous expansion of NATO was precisely why Russia harbored pent-up anger and resentment toward the West. Russia has stated that Ukraine (not Finland or Sweden) is a red line for them. If you don’t believe them, why not call their bluff by stating that Ukraine won’t join NATO? If Russia still invaded, then fair enough. But the West kept insisting that Ukraine’s membership was inevitable.