Expert Related Publication Feeds

Vladimir Putin’s Return as Russian President

ian — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

On May 7, Vladimir Putin will be inaugurated for his third term as president of Russia; this time for six years to 2018. On May 18, he is scheduled to meet with President Obama in the White House prior to the G-8 meeting at Camp David. This Critical Questions addresses key challenges for Putin and what we should expect in U.S.-Russia relations.

Russia Drifts Eastward?

ian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Surprise, Vladimir Putin is back as Russian president. For the first time in his now 12-year reign as Russia’s “national leader,” however, he has encountered dramatic public opposition to his rule. Putin will be inaugurated on May 7, 2012, with both his authority and legitimacy under greater question than ever before.

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

TWQ: Russian Foreign Policy: Continuity in Change - Winter 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The imminent return of Vladimir Putin to the presidency of the Russian Federation in 2012 raises many questions about the future of Russian foreign and security policy as well as U.S.–Russia relations. To what extent will Putin seek to continue and implement the goals of current President Dmitri Medvedev’s modernization program?

Politics Have Returned to Russia: Where Do They Go from Here?

sherry — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is the significance of the December 4 parliamentary elections and subsequent public demonstrations?

Getting the Caucasus Emirate Right

jdunton — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

“Allah willing, all of the brothers, who are carrying out Jihad in the entire world, are our brothers for the sake of Allah, and we all today are going on one road and this road leads to Paradise.” These are not the words of al Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, or even the Taliban’s Mullah Omar.

Reset Expectations: Russian Assessments of U.S. Power

ian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Russian perceptions of the United States and its role in the world provide a powerful lens not only for framing how Russia conceives its foreign and security policies—far more broadly than U.S.- Russia bilateral relations—but also for understanding deeply rooted notions of contemporary Russian identity and even its domestic political system.

The Soviet and U.S. Experiences in Military Intervention in Afghanistan and Current U.S.-Russian Cooperation

ian — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This paper was presented at a conference entitled "Carnegie Council's Program on U.S. Global Engagement: a Two-Year Retrospective."

TWQ: A Truly Regional Economic Strategy for Afghanistan - Spring 2011

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Two events in the past year have shifted the focus of efforts to stabilize Afghanistan as President Obama’s July 2011 deadline for beginning a drawdown of U.S. forces approaches. The first was the Kabul Conference, held July 20, 2010, where Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced that

The North Caucasus

jdunton — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Continued violence and unrest in the North Caucasus have created a major area of instability for the Russian Federation. Although Chechnya is relatively more stable, for now, under the brutal dictatorship of Ramzan Kadyrov, neighboring republics including Ingushetia, Dagestan, and others have experienced significant increases in the frequency of violence.

The Key to Success in Afghanistan

ian — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

One of the most promising ways forward for the U.S. and NATO in Afgha-nistan is to focus on removing the impediments to continental transport and trade across Afghanistan‘s territory. Many existing international initiatives from the Mediterranean to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia are already bringing parts of this network into being.

Russia after the Global Economic Crisis

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

“These excellent essays by major Russian and Western scholars on Russia’s key political and economic developments are vital for anybody who wants to understand Russia’s current dilemma.”
- Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

TWQ: Afghanistan: Building the Missing Link in the Modern Silk Road - Spring 2010

asnyder — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In the fall of 2009, the Obama administration undertook a lengthy review of its strategy for the war in Afghanistan that resulted in the controversial decision to increase the U.S. force presence by 30,000 troops in 2010 and to begin withdrawal in July 2011.

The Northern Distribution Network and Afghanistan

jdunton — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The development of new northern supply routes into Afghanistan, termed the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) by the U.S. government, and the expanded U.S. presence in Afghanistan has had considerable impact on regional geopolitics in Eurasia.

The Northern Distribution Network and the Modern Silk Road

jdunton — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As the U.S. presence in Afghanistan increases, so too will its demand for nonmilitary supplies. To accommodate this growth and address ongoing concerns with Pakistani supply lines, U.S.

Russia Eurasia Insider November 2009

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Russia Eurasia Insider is produced by the Russia and Eurasia Program and provides reports and analysis on the region's geopolitical engagement, economics and internal politics. The newsletter draws on several Russian, U.S. and international media sources, including Associated Press, Bloomberg, Financial Times, RIA Novosti, Interfax, and others.

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Russia Balance Sheet

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Russia has been on a wild roller-coaster ride for the past three decades with no end in sight. Just in the past year as the global financial crisis deepened, the conventional perception of Russia has changed from “safe haven” from the economic tsunami to one of the hardest hit larger markets in the world.

Turkey's Evolving Dynamics

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Relations between the United States and Turkey stand at a critical juncture. Turkey is a key ally in the advancement of U.S. interests vis-à-vis the Middle East, Eurasia, and global energy diversification. Turkey still sees the United States as its closest ally and wants to be a partner in advancing mutual interests, particularly in its immediate environs.

Chinese Soft Power and Its Implications for the United States

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

China has been pursuing its national interests recently through the exercise of “soft power,” as it projects a nonconfrontational face to the developing world.

Releveraging U.S. Power amid Sino-Russian Rapprochement

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Chapter 10 from Chinese Soft Power and Its Implications for the United States.

Pressing the "Reset Button" on U.S.-Russia Relations

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Whither Russia? Russia’s economic circumstances as well as its articulated goals hold the answer to this eternal question.

Pressing the Reset Button in U.S.-Russia Relations

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: Can the Obama administration really “press the reset button” in relations with Russia?

Economic Whiplash in Russia

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Understanding the ramifications of Russia’s economic crisis for its foreign policy is critically important.

Where Should U.S. Policy toward Russia Go from Here?

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Emotions are riding high in Washington, but the United States must very carefully consider and calibrate its response to prevent a complete breakdown in the U.S.-Russian relationship that would

Russia's 2020 Strategic Economic Goals and the Role of International Integration

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In the mind of Vladimir Putin, Russia is destined to be a world leader. Even in 1999, when Western powers—and most Russians themselves—had written the country off as bankrupt and chaotic, Putin envisioned the future Russia as politically stable and economically prosperous.

Russia and the West

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The future of energy relations between Russia and the West can hardly be separated from the global energy environment.

U.S.-Russia Relations

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

U.S.-Russia relations are now at the low point of the second cycle of great expectations and profound disappointment since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. In both countries there is a widespread belief that things have gone terribly wrong—and that the other side is largely at fault.

EU-Russia Relations

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Having undergone a period of stagnation (2003–2006), relations between the European Union and Russia are now going through a period of depression (2006-present) that is rooted in a series of misunderstandings …

U.S.-Russia Strategic Partnership against Nuclear Proliferation

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

There are presently clear indications that we are about to see a revival of nuclear energy worldwide. It is important to make this expansion of nuclear energy for the production of electricity and desalinated …

Russia and Eurasia Program Update, February-March 2008

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

A summary of recent: events, publications, commentaries, in the news items, and more from the CSIS Russia and Eurasia program.

TWQ: Putin's Plan - Spring 2008

asnyder — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Some of the uncertainty surrounding Russia's political future has passed. The December 2007 parliamentary elections are history, the presidential succession seems clear, and the range of options for Vladimir Putin's future role has been considerably narrowed. Yet, at each turn, other uncertainties remain and new ones arise.

Atlantic Outlook: Medvedev May Seek Warmer Russian Relations with the West

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Continuity of policy and stability have been the mantras of the Russian leadership both in December’s parliamentary elections and in the presidential election that predictably endorsed Dmitry

Atlantic Outlook Vol. 2, No. 2

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Topics covered in this issue of the Atlantic Outlook:

- Medvedev May Seek Warmer Russian Relations with the West

The Russian "Election"

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: Who is Dmitri Medvedev?

Alternative Futures for Russia to 2017

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Russia today is a hybrid regime that might best be termed "illiberal internationalism." From being a weakly institutionalized, fragile, and in many ways distorted proto-democracy in the 1990s, Russia under Vladimir Putin has moved back in the direction of a highly centralized authoritarianism, which has characterized the state for most of its 1,000-year history.

The Russian Parliamentary Elections Do Matter

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

How much do the results of the Russian parliamentary elections this Sunday matter for the United States?

The Russian Presidential Election in Global Forecast: the Top Security Challenges of 2008

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Russian president Vladimir Putin is due to step down in the spring of 2008 after a remarkable eight years in the Kremlin. Although a controversial figure in the West, Putin is wildly popular in Russia.…

Critical Questions: The U.S.-Russia Relationship: Fall 2007

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

There is no question that there is more tension now in the U.S.-Russia relationship and Russia-Western relations more broadly than anytime since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But all of the hype about …

Testing the Kremlin

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Testing the Kremlin

The Specter of the Cold War Continues to Haunt Europe

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

When I was in Santa Barbara last month for a conference on the Cold War, I was told that there is a memorial plaque in the mountains not far from the Reagan ranch that celebrates the role of the Strategic …

Dead Journalists in Putin's Russia

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Did you know that nearly twice as many Russian journalists were killed in the 1990s when Boris Yeltsin was president of Russia as in the seven years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency?