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

Hacking Power Grids: New Tactic of War or Wave of the Future?

Nadiya Kostyuk November 03, 2017 RM Exclusives
Recent research suggests that cyberattacks have not yet become a force multiplier to conventional military tools in wartime, but this may very well change in coming years as countries invest in such capabilities.
interview

On Russia's Role in Resolving the North Korea Crisis: Q&A with Gary Samore

RM Staff August 16, 2017 RM Exclusives
An eminent expert on nuclear issues, honored with a medal from the Secretary of Defense for his role in negotiating the 1994 North Korea nuclear agreement, weighs in.
article

Why Forecasts of a Chinese Takeover of the Russian Far East Are Just Dramatic Myth

Alexander Gabuev and Maria Repnikova July 14, 2017 Recommended Reads
Reports of mounting tensions between Moscow and Beijing are not rooted in ground realities but on faulty assumptions about China-Russia relations.
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.
article

Bigger, Not Better: Russia Makes the SCO a Useless Club

Alexander Gabuev June 23, 2017 Recommended Reads
Moscow's fears over Beijing’s rise have led it to cripple the Eurasian organization.
Competing Views on Russia

Brzezinski on Russia: Insights and Recommendations

RM Staff June 01, 2017 RM Exclusives
The former presidential advisor on national security retained a deep skepticism about Russia’s aims and intentions, even when calling on the U.S. to integrate it into the West.
article

Donald Trump’s Plan to Play Russia Against China Is a Fool’s Errand

Alexander Gabuev May 24, 2017 Recommended Reads
While the Trump administration may be trying out triangular diplomacy, a grand bargain with the U.S. on China is unlikely to sway Putin.
article

As China Rises, Russia Tries to Make the Best of a Tough Situation

Jeanne L. Wilson May 19, 2017 RM Exclusives
Beijing’s giant trade and transit initiative, called One Belt, One Road, symbolizes a shifting balance of global power, and Moscow is casting about for a decent spot in the new order.
article

New Allies for a New World

Stephen Kinzer May 14, 2017 Recommended Reads
In a world of three great powers, a future U.S.-Russia partnership against China is possible.
article

A Sino-Russian Military-Political Alliance Would Be Bad News for America

Simon Saradzhyan May 12, 2017 RM Exclusives
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing signals growing Russian support for China’s OBOR initiative and even the far-off prospect of a Sino-Russian alliance. America would be wise to gently pull Moscow from Beijing’s embrace.
article

Snapshot Analysis: Putin’s Overture to Trump on Syria

Simon Saradzhyan May 03, 2017 RM Exclusives
In proposing safe zones, Russia wants to woo the U.S. into better coordination of diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syria conflict. The plan has already brought some dividends.