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

The Russian Military: A Force in Transition

Michael Kofman June 24, 2016 Recommended Reads
While the most recent Russian military reforms produced impressive results, they remain incomplete, resulting in a permanent change for the Russian military without an easily discernible destination.
article

Why Putin Tolerates Corruption

Ivan Krastev May 15, 2016 Recommended Reads
Unlike for Xi Jinping, there is little incentive for Putin to begin an effective anti-corruption campaign, and compelling reasons not to.
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How Western aid enables graft addiction in Ukraine

M. Steven Fish and Neil A. Abrams May 05, 2016 Recommended Reads
Can Western aid actually support the cause of reform in Ukraine? Or is Western assistance enabling an entrenched elite to continue stealing and avoid building a functioning state?
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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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The Limits of Russian-Iranian Cooperation

Nikolay Kozhanov November 27, 2015 Recommended Reads
Although Tehran is reassuring Moscow of its partnership in Syria, cooperation between Russia and Iran faces an uncertain future.
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A Path Out of the Middle East Collapse

Henry Kissinger October 16, 2015 Recommended Reads
With Russia increasingly filling the power vacuum in the Middle East left by inconstant U.S. policy, the American government must work with all available parties to combat major threats to stability.
research paper

Russia’s Breakout From the Post-Cold War System

Dmitri Trenin December 22, 2014 Recommended Reads
In 2014, Russia broke out of the post–Cold War order and openly challenged the U.S.-led international system.
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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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The Wary Chinese-Russian Partnership

Jeffrey Mankoff July 11, 2013 Recommended Reads
China and Russia have a complex relationship marked by selective cooperation. The U.S. should take their complaints seriously.
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