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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Putin Didn't Undermine the Election—We Did

Katrina vanden Heuvel November 29, 2016
Anything Russia may have done to discredit the legitimacy of U.S. democracy and presidential elections pales in comparison to the damage America itself has done.
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A Tale of Two Statues: Putin, Stalin and Russia's Bloody Past

Alexander Baunov November 07, 2016 Recommended Reads
Many Russians want a ruler who shows kindness to the masses and a far less forgiving attitude toward elites; Putin's style of rule doesn't quite fit that model.
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'You Americans Never Learn': How Valdai Showcased Putin's Terms for US-Russia Cooperation

Andrew Kuchins October 28, 2016 Partner Posts
Putin’s broad message seemed to be that, while deeply frustrated by U.S. policies that seemingly defy Russian interests, Moscow will want to work with and engage with the incoming administration.
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What Does Putin Want?

Gerald F. Hyman October 05, 2016 Recommended Reads
The next administration's U.S. policy towards Russia must begin with Putin's two overriding personal objectives: reasserting Russian international power and securing his own domestic power.
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How to Negotiate With Putin on Anything

James Stavridis September 14, 2016 Recommended Reads
Former NATO supreme allied commander advises the United States to develop new strategies in approaching negotiations with Russia.
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Why Putin Prefers Trump

Mikhail Zygar July 27, 2016 Recommended Reads
Putin supports leaders whose motivations he understands. With his cynicism and overt power-seeking, Trump fits the bill.
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False Alert: Is Russia Beefing Up Forces on NATO’s Border?

Ulrich Kühn July 08, 2016 Recommended Reads
While Russia has done an about-face on military reforms meant to switch from large divisions to smaller, more mobile brigades, Moscow is not (yet) creating additional armed forces.
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Russia’s Master Plan to Seize the Arctic

Vladislav Inozemtsev May 02, 2016 Recommended Reads
For now, the Northern Sea Route remains a bluff, like, in general, all of Russia’s plans to develop the Arctic.
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Vladimir Putin's Dicey Dilemma

Graham Allison November 11, 2014 Recommended Reads
After Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Washington crafted a narrative: Russia is a loser that doesn’t matter anymore. How much of that story is true? And what genuine challenges underlie it?
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The Eternal Collapse of Russia

Paul Starobin August 28, 2014 Recommended Reads
Russia is “a country that’s falling apart,” as a New Republic cover story put it. It’s a hardy theme. It’s also a completely bogus one.
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The Myth of Arctic Shipping: Why the Northern Sea Route Is Still of Limited Geo-Economic Importance

Andreas Raspotnik and Kathrin Stephen September 08, 2013 Recommended Reads
Despite media claims, China's use of trans-Arctic shipping does not indicate a shift toward the increased importance of the Northern Sea Route.
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