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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How Not to Compete in the Arctic: The Blurry Lines Between Friend and Foe

Stephanie Pezard February 27, 2019 Recommended Reads
Recent U.S. strategic documents portray Russia as a competitor of the United States and an unambiguous rival. Yet in the Arctic, Russia is also a neighbor with whom trivial matters need to be discussed and de-conflicted before they become nontrivial.
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Why the Arms Race Is Still White Hot Decades After the Cold War Ended—and How to Stop It

Jonathan Hunt November 02, 2018 Recommended Reads
Did the Cold War arms race actually end, or have we merely sat through a 30-year intermission?
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Dawn of a New Armageddon

Cynthia Lazaroff August 06, 2018 Partner Posts
Perhaps the world was safer during the Cold War. Today’s world has entered a new, unchecked and deadly arms race, and arms control has become hostage to political hostilities between the United States and Russia.
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Averting the US-Russia Warpath

James N. Miller, Richard Fontaine and Alexander Velez-Green February 22, 2018 Partner Posts
For Russia and the U.S., new incentives for using "nonkinetic" weapons, like cyber attacks, threaten the stability afforded by mutually assured destruction.
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New START Expires in 3 Years and Nobody Knows What Comes Next

Nikolai Sokov February 06, 2018 Partner Posts
Much stands in the way of a new treaty, but allowing New START to expire would not be in either country's interest.
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The Russification of US Deterrence Policy

Nikolai Sokov December 25, 2017 Recommended Reads
The United States now shares the same concerns as Russia. This might be good news or bad news, depending on political decisions.
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US Response to Russia Treaty Violation Plays into Moscow's Hands

Steven Pifer November 15, 2017 Recommended Reads
The proposal to develop U.S. intermediate-range missiles would not just further jeopardize the INF Treaty; it is both impracticable and opens the door for Russia to deploy such missiles without fear.
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Russian Studies Is Thriving, Not Dying

Timothy Frye October 03, 2017 Recommended Reads
“Russian studies is dying” has become a common assertion. However, in the field of political science, this doesn't seem to be the case.
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Ukraine Between Russia and the West Buffer or Flashpoint?

Thomas Graham, Rajan Menon and Jack Snyder April 24, 2017 Partner Posts
Ukraine's domestic turmoil and relations with Russia, the U.S., and Europe may not make it an ideal candidate for a buffer state, but that outcome could be better than the other alternatives.
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5 Conservative Principles for Dealing With Russia

William Tobey April 12, 2017 Partner Posts
Reestablishing a rough consensus on principles to guide American relations with Russia is a high foreign policy priority.
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The Trump Administration and Nuclear Arms Control Treaties

Steven Pifer December 02, 2016 Recommended Reads
Before backing away from any arms control agreements, the Trump administration should consider the consequences for U.S. national security. For one thing, the recommendations could prompt a new arms race—and give Russia a big head-start.
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Reviving Arms Control in Europe

Frank-Walter Steinmeier August 26, 2016 Recommended Reads
With geopolitical tensions rising across Europe, European security needs to become a top priority once more.
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