Russia Matters

Had the United States and its European allies not succumbed to hubris, wishful thinking and liberal idealism and relied instead on realism’s core insights, the present crisis would not have occurred.

The clash around Ukraine is over competing rights, not merely conflicting interests, and any solution depends on incentives (rather than disincentives) and a rebuilding of trust.

Moscow’s new deadline gives Washington time to rethink its position on Russia’s demand that NATO not expand eastward and at the same time to contemplate Russia’s capacity to act as a major spoiler vs. as a useful facilitator of U.S./Western interests...

From Russia's new national security strategy and its implications for Russia's relations with other global powers, to American and Russian takes on the prospects for a cyber rules of the road agreement, check Russia Matters' top reads of 2021.

If Russia succeeds in propping up the regime in Kazakhstan and making it more pro-Russian, then the Central Asian nation could, like Belarus, become a more reliable ally and partner for Russia.

With three upcoming security dialogues between Russia and the West, the Dec. 30 “phone summit” suggests Moscow and Washington may eventually find enough compromises to de-escalate.

On Jan. 5, 2022, the Center for the National Interest held an event on the conflict in Ukraine.

The dividing line between Europe and the Russian sphere of influence in Europe has gravitated westward and eastward over the past three centuries as a consequence of periodic trials of arms.

The possibility that Russia might have fewer people and a smaller economy will not negate the fact that it is a nuclear superpower with unfriendly intent. What Russia becomes is less important than what Russia is willing to do.

Thirty years ago this month, the USSR officially ceased to exist. Today, quantitative indicators show that despite turbulence, the residents of most individual republics are now better off in some measures than they were at independence.