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

Does NATO Need Montenegro?

Charles V. Peña November 28, 2016 Recommended Reads
If European defense is the raison d’être for NATO, it’s hard to see how Montenegro contributes to the alliance.
article

Trump Marks the End of America as World’s ‘Indispensable Nation’

Robert Kagan November 19, 2016 Recommended Reads
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is uninterested in taking up the burden the U.S. has born for 70 years of assuring global order. 
article

Russia Isn’t Actually That Happy About Trump’s Victory

Ruslan Pukhov November 11, 2016
Despite Donald Trump’s pro-Russia reputation, Moscow has little reason to hope for any major breakthroughs with the new president.
article

Trump’s Victory Bodes Well for US-Russia Ties, But Expect No Tectonic Shifts

Simon Saradzhyan and William Tobey November 10, 2016 RM Exclusives
Donald Trump may improve the U.S.-Russia relationship, but it will remain fragile because of weak economic ties and fundamental differences over missile defense, NATO expansion and a few other issues.
article

A Tale of Two Statues: Putin, Stalin and Russia's Bloody Past

Alexander Baunov November 07, 2016 Recommended Reads
Many Russians want a ruler who shows kindness to the masses and a far less forgiving attitude toward elites; Putin's style of rule doesn't quite fit that model.
article

'You Americans Never Learn': How Valdai Showcased Putin's Terms for US-Russia Cooperation

Andrew Kuchins October 28, 2016 Partner Posts
Putin’s broad message seemed to be that, while deeply frustrated by U.S. policies that seemingly defy Russian interests, Moscow will want to work with and engage with the incoming administration.
article

European Security Reform Holds Key to Breaking Stalemate in Ukraine

Simon Saradzhyan October 27, 2016 RM Exclusives
The conflict in eastern Ukraine is unlikely to be resolved until the underlying demands of the key stakeholders are met. A new European security charter may be the answer.
article

Obama’s Russia Policy: A Post Mortem and Lessons for the Next President

Nikolas K. Gvosdev October 26, 2016 RM Exclusives
A series of de facto compromises in 2009 provided space for the reset. Today U.S.-Russia relations face more contentious and urgent issues, without any readily apparent “easy pickings” on the agenda.
article

Toward a New Russia Policy for America

Thomas Graham October 25, 2016 RM Exclusives
With attention to the realities of today’s world order and a disciplined pursuit of our priorities, we should be able to craft a relationship with Russia that is sufficient to our strategic tasks.
article

Doomed to Cooperate: On U.S.-Russian Nuclear Interdependence

Siegfried S. Hecker October 21, 2016 RM Exclusives
The hard-won cooperation that kept nukes from spilling out of the disintegrating USSR and into the hands of those who would use them has been replaced with animosity and a freeze on genuine collaboration.
article

Course Correction

Dimitri K. Simes, Pratik Chougule and Paul J. Saunders October 16, 2016 Recommended Reads
To bolster its global leadership role and advance its national-security interests, the U.S. needs a serious and purposeful strategy. Continued weakness and recklessness, however, could worsen trouble in critical regions of the world.
article

What Does Putin Want?

Gerald F. Hyman October 05, 2016 Recommended Reads
The next administration's U.S. policy towards Russia must begin with Putin's two overriding personal objectives: reasserting Russian international power and securing his own domestic power.
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