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 US Policy Contributed to the Rise of President Vladimir Putin

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey October 26, 2017 Partner Posts
In this talk, veteran journalist Vladimir Pozner argues that the U.S.-Russia relationship is as bad now as it was during the height of the Cold War, if not worse.
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Russian-Saudi Rapprochement? Iran and Economic Strain Will Make It Tough

Mark N. Katz September 28, 2017 RM Exclusives
Ties between Moscow and Riyadh remain fragile. Saudi Arabia’s main concern is Iran, while Russia wants both investment and sway in the Middle East. Balancing their geopolitical and economic interests will not be easy.
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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.
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Video: New US Sanctions on Russia

Center for the National Interest August 14, 2017 Partner Posts
Former officials from the Bush and Obama administrations discuss the impact and implications of the new Russia sanctions bill.
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To Deal with the Russians, America Must Think Like the Russians

Bruce Allyn June 22, 2017 Partner Posts
America and Russia seem to be blindly repeating the errors of the past, creating a nuclear déjà vu even more menacing than before.
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A Strategy for (Modestly Increasing the Chance of) Saving the INF Treaty

James M. Acton May 11, 2017 RM Exclusives
While it’s highly unlikely that Russia will return to compliance with the INF Treaty, the U.S. should make every effort to save the agreement by creating three realities that Moscow can’t ignore.
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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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Valdai Paper #64: Into the Unknown: US-Russian Relations Unhinged

Robert Legvold April 07, 2017 Partner Posts
If the larger picture defies prediction, the immediate future is scarcely more transparent.
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Dangerous Expectations

Paul Saunders March 17, 2017 RM Exclusives
Could new and lower Russian expectations for U.S.-Russia relations limit U.S. leverage?
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Looking for U.S.-Russian Cooperation? Try Asia

Jeffrey Mankoff December 12, 2016 RM Exclusives
U.S.-Russian ties in Asia have long been underdeveloped, but also far less contentious than in Europe. Maybe now is the time to focus eastward and help Moscow balance between Washington and Beijing.
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Nuclear War is No Longer "Unthinkable" for Russia

Nikolas K. Gvosdev December 07, 2016 Partner Posts
The newly-released "Foreign Policy Concept" of the Russian Federation contains some interesting changes and updates. Given that this document reflects the Kremlin's strategic mindset and how it views international relations, it is important to take what is says seriously.
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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.