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.
survey

With New START Extended, What Is Future of US-Russian Arms Control?

RM Staff February 05, 2021 RM Exclusives
Experts Laura Kennedy, Michael Krepon, Emmanuelle Maître, Olga Oliker, Steven Pifer and William H. Tobey weigh in with answers.
article

The Russian Military is Facing a Looming Demography Crisis

Ethan Woolley February 01, 2021 Partner Posts
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the newly formed Russian Federation’s demography essentially walked off a cliff.
survey

Expert Survey: How Will Climate Change Impact US-Russian Relations?

RM Staff January 28, 2021 RM Exclusives
Russia Matters asked four leading climate experts to weigh in on the impacts of climate change on Russia and the U.S., its effect on the global balance of power and how the Biden administration’s policies toward Russia may be shaped by this shared threat.
article

How Russia Wins the Climate Crisis

Abrahm Lustgarten December 16, 2020 Recommended Reads
While the consequences of climate change could be catastrophic for much of the world, for Russia, they could be just the opposite.
Competing Views on Russia

Jake Sullivan on Russia

Thomas Schaffner, Daniel Shapiro and Aleksandra Srdanovic December 10, 2020 RM Exclusives
What has U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's pick for national security adviser said on Russia? Check out our compilation for some of Sullivan's observations and policy ideas regarding Russia.
Competing Views on Russia

Antony Blinken on Russia

RM Staff November 25, 2020 RM Exclusives
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has selected Blinken to serve as his secretary of state. Blinken, a foreign policy veteran, foresees the new administration's Russia policy as one that seeks to advance strategic stability, while confronting Putin's aggressive actions.
Competing Views on Russia

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Russia

RM Staff November 09, 2020 RM Exclusives
UPDATED. What have the president-elect and vice president-elect said on the U.S. policies they advocate on key Russia-related issues, as well as their views on Russia itself?
article

Emulation and Military Change in Russia

Emmanuel Dreyfus October 23, 2020 RM Exclusives
Western models have inspired the creation of Russia's Special Operation Command, Military Police and the development of private military companies, as have centuries-old Russian military traditions.
article

Russian Moves in Afghanistan Are About Regional Stability, Not Revenge on US

Artemy M. Kalinovsky July 22, 2020 RM Exclusives
U.S. politicians may feel betrayed by Russia’s engagement with the Taliban, but to understand what Russia is up to, they need to stop imagining that Moscow’s every move is somehow intended to undermine the U.S.
Competing Views on Russia

Olga Oliker on Russia: Insights and Recommendations

RM Staff July 16, 2020 RM Exclusives
Russia presents a critical foreign policy challenge to the U.S., "one which will be poorly served by either demonization or conciliation," writes leading Russia expert Olga Oliker. "What is needed is considered, knowledgeable and nuanced policy."
article

A Farewell to the Open Skies Treaty, and an Era of Imaginative Thinking

Bonnie Jenkins June 16, 2020 Partner Posts
President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty (OST). The OST allows for members to conduct unarmed surveillance flights in each others’ air space. The treaty was designed to enhance mutual understanding, build confidence and promote openness and transparency of military forces and activities.
article

Stay Out of the Regime Change Business

Benjamin Denison June 16, 2020 Recommended Reads
Pursuing short-term wins through covert regime change may ultimately undermine U.S. foreign policy.