Analysis

This listing contains all the analytical materials posted on the Russia Matters website. These include: RM Exclusives, commissioned by Russia Matters exclusively for this website; Recommended Reads, deemed particularly noteworthy by our editorial team; Partner Posts, originally published by our partners elsewhere; and Future Policy Leaders, pieces by promising young scholars and policy thinkers. Content can be filtered by genre and subject-specific criteria and is updated often. Gradually we will be adding older Recommended Reads and Partner Posts dating back as far as 2011.
article

Opposition to Nord Stream 2 Makes No Sense for America or Europe

Eugene Rumer August 12, 2018 Recommended Reads
U.S. President Donald Trump and his critics at home and in Europe have found common ground in opposing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
article

The Helsinki Summit: A Good Idea Turns Bad

George Beebe July 19, 2018 Recommended Reads
Expectations for the Helsinki summit were low, but the U.S. and Russia still managed to sail their listing bilateral ship directly into the rocks of the Russian cyber-meddling controversy.
article

Time for a Helsinki Communique

Thomas Graham July 07, 2018 Partner Posts
The Shanghai Communique of 1972 dispensed with worn-out platitudes about cooperation and laid out the disputes between the U.S. and China. Doing so gave it an air of credibility. So what would a U.S.-Russian Helsinki Communique look like?
article

In Search of Light at the End of the Tunnel for US-Russian Relations

Alexey Arbatov June 26, 2018 Recommended Reads
Even if the situation in Ukraine is resolved peacefully, and if an armed clash between Russia and the United States is avoided in Syria, it will not be possible to overcome this wide-reaching crisis with a single package of agreements.
podcast

Of Russian Military Reforms From Georgia to Syria

Center for Strategic and International Studies May 22, 2018 Partner Posts
In this episode of Russian Roulette, CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program expert Olga Oliker sits down with defense analyst Anton Lavrov to discuss Russian military reforms, what new capabilities Russia demonstrated in Syria and where the Russian military may (or may not) be heading.
article

Kennan Cable No. 33: A Russian Pivot to Asia? Russian Trade With Asia From 2006 to 2016

Michael Corbin May 18, 2018 Recommended Reads
For over a decade, in a pivot that began before the economic crisis, rising tensions with the West and Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization, Russian trade has been turning to the east—and Asian countries are turning to Russia, too.
article

Who Can Prevent a War Between Israel and Iran? Russia

Joost Hiltermann May 03, 2018 Recommended Reads
Russia is uniquely suited to mediating between Israel and Iran, but the West may not support its efforts.  
article

Yes, It Is a New Cold War. What Is To Be Done?

Raymond Smith April 25, 2018 Recommended Reads
Isolating Russia isn't the answer to avoiding the destabilizing effects of Russia turning to alternative alliances with countries like Syria and Iran.
multimedia

Video: What's Next for US-Russia Relations?

Kennan Institute April 05, 2018 Partner Posts
With the recent expulsion of U.S., European and Russia diplomats, the crisis in U.S.-Russian relations continues to escalate. Is there any sign of a thaw in the relationship in the near future?
article

Has a New Cold War Really Begun? Why the Term Shouldn't Apply to Today's Great-Power Tensions

Odd Arne Westad March 27, 2018 Recommended Reads
The international affairs of today are no longer rooted in the absolutes of the Cold War. The world has moved beyond bipolarity and the centrality of ideology.
article

From Mutually Assured Destruction to Mutually Assured Delusion (and Back?)

Simon Saradzhyan March 12, 2018 Recommended Reads
If U.S. and Russian decision-makers do not just profess but also genuinely believe in the continuing decline and pending collapse of each other’s countries, then chances are they will act more assertively against each other.
article

America Ignores Russia at Its Peril

David Ignatius March 06, 2018 Recommended Reads
Putin’s address to the Russian parliament was meant to intimidate Washington, but it was also a plea for attention.
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