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.
research paper

Lessons for Leaders: What Afghanistan Taught Russian and Soviet Strategists

Simon Saradzhyan February 28, 2019 RM Exclusives
Moscow’s military intervention in Afghanistan lasted nearly a decade (1979-1989). It cost the USSR dearly in blood, treasure and power, but imparted lessons as well. Can some of these prove useful to the U.S. today?
survey

Withdrawing From the INF Treaty: Consequences and Costs

RM Staff October 23, 2018 Partner Posts
Experts weigh in on Donald Trump's decision to pull out from the landmark arms-control deal.
survey

Survey: What Can We Expect From the Trump-Putin Summit?

RM Experts July 12, 2018 RM Exclusives
Eight experts weigh in on prospects for the two presidents’ first official bilateral summit. All agree that improving U.S.-Russian relations will be a slow process requiring patient work.
survey

Survey: What Next for the Iran Deal and What Will It Mean for US-Russian Relations?

RM Experts May 10, 2018 RM Exclusives
Eight experts on nuclear nonproliferation, security and the Middle East weigh in on the implications of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA.
survey

Survey on Ukraine: Does Providing Lethal Weapons to Kiev Serve US Vital Interests?

RM Experts August 22, 2017 RM Exclusives
As Mattis heads to Kiev, we ask leading U.S. experts what America’s interests vis-à-vis Ukraine are and whether they are best advanced by supplying lethal weapons to the country.
policy brief

Trump, Putin and the Growing Risk of Military Escalation

Łukasz Kulesa and Shatabhisha Shetty July 04, 2017 Partner Posts
In this policy brief, the authors argue that the presidency of Donald Trump is complicating an already tense and challenged deterrence relationship between Russia and NATO, and this is exacerbated by the tendency of the Russian leadership to take foreign policy risks.
survey

Survey: Tips for President Trump Ahead of His First Meeting With Putin

RM Experts July 03, 2017 RM Exclusives
What should be at the top of the two leaders’ agenda? Avoiding war, bolstering arms control, cooperating on counter-terrorism, Ukraine … and not getting their hopes too high.
policy brief

Russia’s New Conventional Capability: Implications for Eurasia and Beyond

Nikolai Sokov May 01, 2017 Recommended Reads
Russia’s new conventional-strike capability is significant for the West, whether or not the West wants to acknowledge it.
research paper

Illusions vs. Reality: Twenty-Five Years of US Policy Toward Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia

Eugene Rumer, Richard Sokolsky, Paul Stronski and Andrew S. Weiss February 09, 2017 Recommended Reads
Long-standing disagreements on national security interests and policies will make repairing the U.S.-Russian relationship challenging.
survey

Survey: What Will a Trump Presidency Mean for US-Russia Relations?

RM experts November 17, 2016 RM Exclusives
While campaigning Donald Trump repeatedly called for improved relations with Russia. As president he will face major challenges in trying to make that a reality. Five Russia experts name a few.