Speaking with The Washington Post, AGSIW Visiting Scholar Mark N. Katz commented on the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia, noting that “This is not the first administration that has tried” the wedge strategy, which aims to divide Russia and Iran, and that this goes “back to [Bill] Clinton, [George W.] Bush and certainly [Barack] Obama — whose whole reset with Russia was partly predicated on, ‘They can help us with Iran.’”

Additionally, Stars and Stripes cited Katz’s earlier commentary on the Russian view toward Libya for the Atlantic Council: “Perhaps the best they can hope to achieve by supporting [General Khalifa] Haftar is establishing a degree of security in eastern Libya, but even this will take considerable effort.” He continued, “If so, Libya will not be the great geopolitical gain for Russia that many in the West seem to fear.”