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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No, Weakening Russia Is Not “Costing Peanuts” for the U.S.

Trita Parsi January 20, 2023 Recommended Reads
As support slips for military funding to Ukraine, some analysts argue that America is getting a great deal for its money. But there are a lot of strategic costs that don’t show up on the balance sheet.
Clues from Russian Views

The Importance of Being Russian: Can Belarus Survive the Kremlin’s War Against Ukraine?

Maxim Samorukov November 03, 2022 Recommended Reads
The war has left Belarus in a predicament, which boils down to depending on Russia for everything without enjoying the advantages of being part of Russia.
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Keeping Putin From Going Nuclear: Can Xi and Modi Help?

Simon Saradzhyan September 29, 2022 RM Exclusives
The collective West is right to take Putin’s nuclear threats seriously, but efforts to dissuade him require the pro-active involvement of China and India.
article

On Ukraine War, India Balances on Fine Line Between Russia and West

Rakesh Sharma August 26, 2022 RM Exclusives
The war in Ukraine has confronted India with difficult strategic choices as it strives to balance relationships with Washington and with Moscow while competing with Beijing.
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How Silent Assent Made Bucha Possible

Andrei Kolesnikov April 07, 2022 Recommended Reads
Those who approve or stay silent bear, at the very least, collective responsibility for what is happening in their own country and what the state is doing.
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The Toll of Economic War: How Sanctions on Russia Will Upend the Global Order

Nicholas Mulder March 23, 2022 Recommended Reads
The economic offensive against Russia has already exposed one important new reality: The era of costless, risk-free and predictable sanctions is well and truly over, the author writes.
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The False Promise of Arming Insurgents

Lindsey O'Rourke March 18, 2022 Recommended Reads
America’s spotty record warrants caution in Ukraine.
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Taiwan Is Not Ukraine: Stop Linking Their Fates Together

Kharis Templeman January 27, 2022 Recommended Reads
In the current geopolitical moment, the differences between Ukraine and Taiwan are far more important than their similarities—and linking together the security threats that the two countries face can make both situations worse.
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Why Russia Is Unlikely to Use Zapad-2021 to Intervene Militarily in European Countries

Simon Saradzhyan August 31, 2021 Partner Posts
As Russia prepares to hold exercises in its western regions again, we hear warnings that Moscow will use the wargames as cover for aggression against another country; however, the conditions necessary for a Russian military intervention are absent.
book review

Review of Marlene Laruelle's 'Is Russia Fascist? Unraveling Propaganda East and West'

Arthur Martirosyan August 19, 2021 RM Exclusives
Laruelle convincingly depicts the perils of the poisonous potential of the memory wars and frivolous accusations in fascism to eliminate prospects for a negotiated modus vivendi on the European continent and driving the game to a set of zero-sum encounters depriving the sides from the meaningful engagement on many issues presenting common interests.
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Does the Collective Security Treaty Organization Have a Future?

Kirill Krivosheev July 09, 2021 Partner Posts
The CSTO still has a chance to prove itself—if it can demonstrate effective and coordinated work after the impending withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
column

Georgian Democracy Stumbles Onward After Parliament Deal

Terrell Jermaine Starr April 26, 2021 Recommended Reads
A six-month stalemate over vote-rigging accusations has been partially, but messily, resolved.
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