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

From Mutually Assured Destruction to Mutually Assured Delusion (and Back?)

Simon Saradzhyan March 12, 2018 Recommended Reads
If U.S. and Russian decision-makers do not just profess but also genuinely believe in the continuing decline and pending collapse of each other’s countries, then chances are they will act more assertively against each other.
article

Our National Obsession With Russia Is Preventing Sane Debate

Eugene Rumer January 22, 2018 Recommended Reads
Saying Russia doesn't matter simply isn't true anymore.
article

Russia's Presidential Election Runs Into Reality

Nikolas K. Gvosdev January 21, 2018 Recommended Reads
The domestic and international problems plaguing Russia won't be solved by the March election.
article

The Russification of US Deterrence Policy

Nikolai Sokov December 25, 2017 Recommended Reads
The United States now shares the same concerns as Russia. This might be good news or bad news, depending on political decisions.
article

Don’t Speak, Memory

Nikita Petrov December 12, 2017 Recommended Reads
Returning to old habits is a real danger if Russia does not acknowledge the darker chapters in its history for what they are.
article

Russia Takes a Step Toward the Post-Putin Era

Leonid Bershidsky December 07, 2017 Recommended Reads
Russian President Vladimir Putin's long tenure has been lacking, especially on the domestic front.
article

Whenever America Is in Crisis, Russia Is Its Whipping Boy

Ivan Kurilla December 05, 2017 Recommended Reads
History shows how anti-Russia sentiment rises when the U.S. is at a low.
article

US Response to Russia Treaty Violation Plays into Moscow's Hands

Steven Pifer November 15, 2017 Recommended Reads
The proposal to develop U.S. intermediate-range missiles would not just further jeopardize the INF Treaty; it is both impracticable and opens the door for Russia to deploy such missiles without fear.
report

Entanglement: Chinese and Russian Perspectives on Non-nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Risks

James M. Acton, Alexey Arbatov, Vladimir Dvorkin, Petr Topychkanov, Tong Zhao and Li Bin November 08, 2017 Recommended Reads
A new report offers Russian, Chinese and U.S. assessments of the growing risk of military conflicts going nuclear.
article

Containing Our Intelligence War with Russia

George Beebe October 31, 2017 Recommended Reads
Just as Russia should not misread U.S. support for democratization as a push for regime change, the U.S. should not conflate Moscow’s desire to change our international behavior with an intent to destroy our nation.
article

What Does Putin Want? To Maintain His Power No Matter What Democracy

William E. Pomeranz October 30, 2017 Recommended Reads
If Putin’s victory in the March 2018 election is big, it would also be a triumph for the Russian autocratic state.
article

Setting Conflict in Stone: Dangerous Trends in Russian-US Relations

Alexander Gabuev October 04, 2017 Recommended Reads
Perpetual misunderstanding on both sides can only make the relationship between Moscow and Washington worse.