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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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.
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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

Ukraine’s Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace

Nicolai N. Petro September 07, 2016 Recommended Reads
Amidst the brewing domestic political storm, the struggle for the right to define Ukrainian identity has become a “perpetual war, for perpetual peace,” a peace that can only come when all the enemies of Ukraine, at home and abroad, are fully vanquished.
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The Role of Sanctions in US-Russian Relations

Richard Nephew and Andrew S. Weiss July 11, 2016 Recommended Reads
Sanctions are a critical tool in persuading Russia to change its Ukraine policy. But the West’s overreliance on them risks undercutting their long-term effectiveness.
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False Alert: Is Russia Beefing Up Forces on NATO’s Border?

Ulrich Kühn July 08, 2016 Recommended Reads
While Russia has done an about-face on military reforms meant to switch from large divisions to smaller, more mobile brigades, Moscow is not (yet) creating additional armed forces.
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How Western aid enables graft addiction in Ukraine

M. Steven Fish and Neil A. Abrams May 05, 2016 Recommended Reads
Can Western aid actually support the cause of reform in Ukraine? Or is Western assistance enabling an entrenched elite to continue stealing and avoid building a functioning state?
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US-Russian Relations: The Middle Cannot Hold

Samuel Charap and Jeremy Shapiro May 03, 2016 Recommended Reads
The Obama administration's "middle-way" strategy towards Russian policy of concurrent antagonism and cooperation must be ended in favor of a more stable path.
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Can the US-Russia Plutonium Disposition Agreement Be Saved?

Pavel Podvig April 28, 2016
Scrapping the U.S.-Russian deal to dispose of weapon-grade plutonium would mean a long-term setback for nuclear nonproliferation efforts. But current tensions make a compromise ever more elusive.
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Ukraine's Hybrid State

Balázs Jarábik and Mikhail Minakov April 22, 2016 Recommended Reads
Ukraine has new institutions and a vibrant civil society, but a culture of corruption erodes state legitimacy. The state has been captured by enemies within.
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NATO, Russia Must Reopen Contact to Keep 'Cold War' Cold

Kevin Ryan November 30, 2015 Recommended Reads
Above all, while defending our vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations that force an adversary to choose either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war.
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Why Arming Kiev is a Really, Really Bad Idea

Stephen M. Walt February 09, 2015
Arming Ukraine will simply intensify the conflict and add to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
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How to Solve the Ukraine Crisis

Graham Allison June 06, 2014 Recommended Reads
Given the complex realities contributing to the war in Ukraine, Graham Allison outlines six recommendations that could help stop the ongoing conflict.
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