Casey Michel

Casey Michel is head of the Human Rights Foundation's Combating Kleptocracy Program and author of American Kleptocracy: How the U.S. Created the World’s Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History.

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Articles by Casey Michel
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a press conference after meeting with French President in Moscow, on February 7, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during a press conference after meeting with French President in Moscow, on February 7, 2022.

The Domino Theory Is Coming for Putin

Argument
Casey Michel
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands in New York City on Sept. 27.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands in New York City on Sept. 27.

Ukraine Now Faces a Nuclear Decision

Analysis
Casey Michel
New York City Mayor Eric Adams participates in the annual Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown on Feb. 25.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams participates in the annual Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown on Feb. 25.

America’s Adversaries Are Targeting Its Cities and States

Argument
Casey Michel
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Montgomery County Community College January 5, 2024 in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Montgomery County Community College January 5, 2024 in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Trump Made Progress on Foreign Lobbying. Biden Reversed It.

Argument
Casey Michel
Marchers, most of them women in heels, dresses, coats, and hats carry signs for the communist part as they walk down a street in New York.
Marchers, most of them women in heels, dresses, coats, and hats carry signs for the communist part as they walk down a street in New York.

The Contradictions of America’s Communist Party

Review
Casey Michel
A photo collage of historic black-and-white images of Soviet leaders: Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Mikhail Gorbachev, are toward the front, and a larger cutout of Joseph Stalin looms over them in the background. Behind that is a textured red background with the yellow hammer and sickle symbol of the Soviet Union.
A photo collage of historic black-and-white images of Soviet leaders: Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Mikhail Gorbachev, are toward the front, and a larger cutout of Joseph Stalin looms over them in the background. Behind that is a textured red background with the yellow hammer and sickle symbol of the Soviet Union.

Putting the Cold War on the Couch

Review
Casey Michel
A black and white photo of a man standing at a podium holding his arm out.
A black and white photo of a man standing at a podium holding his arm out.

How Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Became Putin’s Spiritual Guru

Argument
Casey Michel
Flowers are seen placed around a portrait of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a makeshift memorial in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on Feb. 29.
Flowers are seen placed around a portrait of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a makeshift memorial in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on Feb. 29.

Russia’s Opposition Needs More Than One Savior

Argument
Casey Michel
Pedestrians walk past an wall painting depicting a map of Crimean peninsula bearing the colours of Russia's national flag in Moscow, on March 31, 2014.
Pedestrians walk past an wall painting depicting a map of Crimean peninsula bearing the colours of Russia's national flag in Moscow, on March 31, 2014.

Russia’s Crimean Red Line Has Been Erased

Analysis
Casey Michel
A smiling Putin and Schroder move to shake hands in front of a conference table.
A smiling Putin and Schroder move to shake hands in front of a conference table.

How to Stop Former Western Leaders From Becoming Paid Shills for Autocrats

Analysis
Casey Michel, Benjamin L. Schmitt
Russian troops walk toward a military plane at a snowy airfield.
Russian troops walk toward a military plane at a snowy airfield.

Kazakhstan’s Border With Russia Is Suddenly an Open Question Again

Analysis
Casey Michel
The downtown district of Wilmington, Delaware, is seen on Aug. 19, 2016.
The downtown district of Wilmington, Delaware, is seen on Aug. 19, 2016.

How Delaware Became the World’s Biggest Offshore Haven

Excerpt
Casey Michel
The exterior of a fancy office building on a street in London.
The exterior of a fancy office building on a street in London.

The Fatal Flaw in the West’s Fight Against Autocracy

Argument
Casey Michel
An Afghan street seller offers the local currency called 'afgani' in exchange for US dollars and few pre-paid mobile phone cards, in Kabul, on April 10, 2010.
An Afghan street seller offers the local currency called 'afgani' in exchange for US dollars and few pre-paid mobile phone cards, in Kabul, on April 10, 2010.

America’s Money Lost the Afghan War

Argument
Casey Michel, Paul Massaro
A U.S. national flag and a $100 banknote sticker in Istanbul
A U.S. national flag and a $100 banknote sticker in Istanbul

Biden Might Stop a Sanctions Revolution

Argument
Paul Massaro, Casey Michel
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