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.
interview

Graham Allison: ‘Time to Search for an Off-Ramp’ in Ukraine

Fyodor Lukyanov October 21, 2022 Recommended Reads
In this interview with Fyodor Lukyanov, Harvard political scientist and expert on the Cuban missile crisis Graham Allison says the sides have escalated far enough.
article

Can Lessons From Cuban Missile Crisis Help Stave Off US-Russia Confrontation?

Yana Demeshko and Natasha Yefimova-Trilling October 19, 2022 RM Exclusives
A look at 10 similarities and differences to get the conversation going
article

The End of the Post-Soviet Order

Marlene Laruelle October 13, 2022 Recommended Reads
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees Ukraine as part of Russia’s rightful sphere of influence, but because of his invasion, that sphere of influence is contracting.
article

Will Putin’s War in Ukraine Continue Without Him?

Shawn Cochran October 10, 2022 Recommended Reads
History demonstrates that the leader who starts a costly, protracted war is rarely willing to end the war short of victory—but history also shows that leadership change does not always facilitate peace. 
Clues from Russian Views

The World According to Patrushev

Simon Saradzhyan and Angelina Flood October 07, 2022 RM Exclusives
Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, often comes up when discussion turns to possible Putin successors. Check out our compilation for some of his views on issues that impact important U.S. interests.
Clues from Russian Views

The Best Way to Control Nuclear Escalation Is Simply to Not Start It

Fyodor Lukyanov interviews Konstantin Bogdanov October 05, 2022 Recommended Reads
Many volumes have been written on escalation control theories, but no one knows how to manage it.
article

Putin Is Not Bluffing With His Nuclear Threats

Graham Allison October 03, 2022 Recommended Reads
What do Biden and his national security team know that makes them take Putin’s nuclear threat so seriously?
article

What Do Americans Care About? Not a Cold War With Russia and China

Katrina vanden Heuvel September 20, 2022 Recommended Reads
Asked about the most urgent issue facing the country today, 27% of Americans—the highest number—ranked inflation as No. 1, while only 2% ranked Ukraine at the top.
article

Does War in Ukraine Impact Vital US Interests?

Ingrid Burke Friedman, Aleksandra Srdanovic and RM Staff September 08, 2022 RM Exclusives
Despite the West's multiple rounds of sanctions on Moscow and ramped up military, economic and humanitarian aid for Kyiv, Biden has made clear he has no intention of sending American troops into Ukraine, as have leaders of other NATO countries.
article

The World Putin Wants

Fiona Hill and Angela Stent August 25, 2022 Recommended Reads
Russia’s president ordered his "special military operation" because he believes that it is Russia’s divine right to rule Ukraine, to wipe out the country’s national identity and to integrate its people into a Greater Russia.
article

Ukraine’s Accession to the EU: Relations With Member States and Implications for the Balance of Power

Kai-Olaf Lang July 22, 2022 Recommended Reads
On the one hand, Ukraine aims to join the EU because it wants “more Europe.” On the other hand, a state fighting for its independence in war will be reluctant to allow sovereignty to be “pooled.”
article

Challenges to Internal Security and the Rule of Law From an EU Perspective

Raphael Bossong July 22, 2022 Recommended Reads
The rapidly growing availability of weapons in Ukraine, the country's widespread corruption and weak rule of law and challenges to the eventual securing of ceasefire lines all pose a significant risk to the EU’s internal security.
Refine & Filter

By Section

By Topic

By Country

By Regions

By Groups

By Genre