With a less-than-stellar showing by Democrats, a new high-level channel of communication and voters uninterested in Russia, the Trump administration may have a better chance of pursuing dialogue with Moscow than before.
The two countries have been drifting apart even in terms of arms sales, but a large defense-equipment portfolio still binds them together, writes Aaditya Dave. This and more in our latest analytical digest.
Thirty-five years after Able Archer, the lack of sustained, high-level engagement with Russia risks once again putting America and its allies at unnecessary risk of a nuclear conflict no one wants or even expects.
Analysis
After US Midterms, Dialogue With Russia May Become Easier, Not Harder
November 14, 2018
News
Russian-Indian Ties Grow Weaker But Don’t Break
November 13, 2018
Analysis
With Russia and the US, Nuclear Risks Never Go Out of Vogue
November 08, 2018
Editors' Picks
Blog
Russia and the 2018 Midterms: Laying Out the Publicly Available Evidence
Mari Dugas and Natasha Yefimova-Trilling
While cyber-security watchers keep an eye out for Russian hackers, they also say interference in the midterms seems to be coming from a mix of sources, including lone actors and Americans.
Is Vladimir Putin’s Russia rising, declining or stagnating? If it is rising or declining, then compared to whom? Answers to these questions are of fundamental importance for the U.S. and the global order.
NATO’s Trident Juncture Exercise as a Deterrence Signal to Russia
Dmitry Gorenburg
The military lessons for the exercise’s participants promise to be significant, while the immediate political impact will be minor. Russia’s main worry? A permanent U.S. troop deployment in eastern Europe.
Putin Deepens Confusion About Russian Nuclear Policy
Abigail Stowe-Thurston, Matt Korda and Hans M. Kristensen
Rather than strengthening deterrence, ambiguity surrounding U.S. and Russian nuclear thresholds is causing both sides to make dangerous assumptions about one another’s intentions.
After the INF Treaty: An Objective Look at US and Russian Compliance, Plus a New Arms Control Regime
Kevin Ryan
Russia, according to U.S. officials, has violated the INF Treaty. The U.S. is on the verge of violating, if it has not already done so. What’s needed now is a new treaty focusing on warheads instead of delivery systems.
Russian-Ukrainian Church Turmoil Driven by Political Ambitions
Nicolai N. Petro
With a presidential election looming, Ukraine’s unpopular leader has teamed up with Orthodox Christianity’s top cleric to create a new church and boost their political clout at Moscow’s expense.
The ‘Who, What, When’ of Russia Sanctions: A Cheat Sheet for Laymen
Alexey Eremenko
This explainer spells out the major sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and EU since 2014: who has been targeted; what behaviors are to be punished or deterred; what activities have been restricted; and for how long.
