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.
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Expert Survey: Does Russia’s Presidential Election Matter to US and Its Allies?

RM Staff March 15, 2024 RM Exclusives
Some Western Russia experts agree that despite Putin's inevitable victory, the election can still offer clues about the challenges the Kremlin faces, as well as the extent of anti-war sentiment among Russians.
book review

Thomas Graham on Why and How America Should Start Getting Russia Right

Simon Saradzhyan October 19, 2023 RM Exclusives
The U.S. needs to get Russia right, which requires America to see Russia “plainly and without sentiment,” Graham writes in his new book.
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Expert Survey: Should US Offer Ukraine Security Guarantees?

RM Staff August 04, 2023 RM Exclusives
While some believe the answer is an unequivocal yes, others argue there are no easy answers and call for caution. Check out our survey of some of America’s most prominent experts on post-Soviet Eurasia for more.
article

The Causes and Consequences of the Ukraine War

John J. Mearsheimer June 23, 2022 Recommended Reads
The United States has pushed forward policies toward Ukraine that Putin and other Russian leaders see as an existential threat, a point they have made repeatedly for many years.
debate

West’s Quandaries on Russia in Ukraine: Ends vs. Means, Rollback vs. Containment

Nikolas K. Gvosdev June 09, 2022 RM Exclusives
Kissinger's and Soros's very different perspectives and policy recommendations flow from fundamentally different assumptions about the nature of the international system and whether "means" or "ends" should have primacy in the formulation of policy.
debate

On West’s Response to Russia in Ukraine: Confrontation Has Risks, but So Does Appeasement

Melinda Haring June 09, 2022 RM Exclusives
We have a dangerous European war right now, but if Putin’s ambitions aren’t checked, we are likely to end up in a much worse situation that could easily bring about a third world war.
multimedia

Where is the Confrontation Over Ukraine Heading?

Center for the National Interest January 05, 2022 Partner Posts
On Jan. 5, 2022, the Center for the National Interest held an event on the conflict in Ukraine.
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Russian Troops Near Ukraine’s Border: How Should the West Respond?

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs December 15, 2021 Partner Posts
With Ukrainian forces on high alert as Russia continues to amass troops on the border, Belfer Center experts outline America’s national security interests in the region and identify steps they believe Western forces should take to thwart Putin’s aims.
book review

Stoner’s Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Russia’s New Strength

Paul Saunders May 05, 2021 RM Exclusives
Kathryn E. Stoner's effort to measure Russia’s power comprises the bulk of her new book and provides a generally helpful overview of the country’s capabilities despite some limitations.
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The Dilemma Over the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs April 15, 2021 Partner Posts
The Belfer Center asked its experts to share their thoughts on the implications of the pipeline for Europe's security and energy supply, transatlantic relations and policy toward Russia, as well as what actions the U.S. and Europe should take at this point.
article

Acknowledging Policy Shortcomings Is First Step to Solving America’s Russia Problem

Paul Saunders March 12, 2020 RM Exclusives
America’s government and its foreign policy elites need to make a greater effort to develop effective policies toward countries in regions where rival great powers—China and Russia—have greater capabilities and/or resolve to advance their goals.
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Contending With—Not Accepting—Spheres of Influence

Steven Pifer March 05, 2020 RM Exclusives
While Washington does have to deal with Russia's efforts to establish a sphere of influence in its neighborhood, that doesn't mean the U.S. should accept the legitimacy of those efforts.
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