U.S. forces reportedly “intercepted” a Russian major general in northern Syria; under new rules, future is dim for “birth tourism” from Russia to U.S. This and more in our latest news digest.
Should military tension in the region grow, overall military deployments would largely play in Moscow’s favor in the European Arctic and in Washington’s in the Pacific Arctic.
Russia's political leaders deny the existence of a supposedly new plan to use limited nuclear strikes in a local/regional conflict to shock an adversary into suing for peace. Has the U.S. misunderstood Russian intentions and plans?
News
US Soldiers Repeatedly Block Russian Counterparts in Syria, Trump’s Crackdown on Birth Tourism to Affect Russia
January 24, 2020
Analysis
Military Assets in the Arctic: A Russia-West Correlation of Forces
January 22, 2020
Analysis
Is 'Escalate to Deescalate' Part of Russia’s Nuclear Toolbox?
January 08, 2020
RM Staff Picks
Blog
Putin Signals Intention to Continue Steering Russia Beyond 2024, but Will He Solve Country’s Structural Problems?
Simon Saradzhyan
Whatever new title he chooses in 2024, Putin will need to address Russia's structural socio-economic problems or continue to confront the reality that Russia remains too far behind the U.S. and China economically and demographically to be a true peer...
Other than the fear of mutually assured destruction, what keeps the U.S. and Russia from stumbling into a war? Part of the answer lies in the bilateral and multilateral agreements specifically designed to prevent incidents that could escalate into a ...
Putin Predictions of Yore: What the Pundits Thought 20 Years Ago
Thomas Schaffner
Twenty years ago this month, resigning Russian President Boris Yeltsin tapped Vladimir Putin, still relatively unknown outside of Russia, to be his successor. Westerners were left with one question: “Who is Mr. Putin?”
From Interventions Abroad to Spacecraft Blessings at Home: RM's Most Read of 2019
RM Staff
From the costs and benefits of Russia's intervention in Ukraine and the lessons of the Soviet Union's intervention in Afghanistan, to the pitfalls of Russia's national projects and the likelihood (or not) of a military alliance between Russia and Chi...
Ukraine Illuminated: Insiders Parse the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Then and Now
RM Staff
At a unique conference on the Budapest Memorandum, former U.S. diplomats explained how 25 years ago this month, Washington was simply not prepared to grant security guarantees to Ukraine.
Russia’s Stock Market Rallies But Still Not a Source of Long-Term Capital
Ben Aris
Russia’s stock market has been described as one of the best performing in the world this year, but the factors driving the uptick won’t fix the economy’s main problem: business people’s lack of confidence in the system.
How Much Did US Elections Factor in Post-Cold War NATO Expansion?
Thomas Schaffner
As NATO marks its 70th anniversary this week, it is worth recalling that European security considerations weren't the only factor that sparked the alliance’s expansion eastward.
Fiona Hill on Russia: Insights and Recommendations
RM Staff
The National Security Council’s new senior director for European and Russian affairs has been producing scholarship, analysis and commentary on Russia for nearly 30 years. Get a sampling of it here.
Alternative History: Would Russia in NATO and EU Be Game Changer in West’s Rivalry With China?
Simon Saradzhyan
Quantitative measurements show that while Russia’s decision to align with the West rather than with China might not have been a game changer, it would have diminished the latter’s might vis-à-vis the West.
