Russia and Caucasus - Carnegie Endowment

Grading Obama

Dmitri Trenin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

On the anniversary of President Obama’s election, relations with Russia have become a bright spot among the president’s ambitious foreign policy efforts, while other central international goals remain unachieved.

Missile Defense Could Be the Silver Bullet

Dmitri Trenin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

U.S. plans to build a global missile defense system have caused consternation in Moscow, where a potential U.S. first-strike capability is still viewed as the most serious external military threat to Russia.

Russia's Search for an Identity

Masha Lipman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

The perception of Stalin and his crimes has more to do with the nature of Russian statehood than with the monstrous actions of the man himself. A statehood based on the specter of Stalin as the embodiment of the great state is, however, incompatible with modernization.

Iran: Can Obama Play Hardball?

Robert Kagan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

To effectively end Iran's nuclear program, Obama should abandon diplomatic ideals of engagement and instead immediately begin imposing new sanctions.

Regional Dimensions: Fresh Faces in a Stale System

Nikolai Petrov — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

A new system has been implemented for naming the candidate for a gubernatorial post in Russia, and the fate of 10 percent of the governors hangs in the balance.

NATO and Russia: Partnership or Peril?

Dmitri Trenin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The West and Russia need to embark on a long, tortuous, and potentially rocky path toward creating a security community in Europe that would include both NATO members and nonmembers.

Russia Reborn

Dmitri Trenin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The current Russian model—growth without development, capitalism without democracy, and great-power policies without international appeal—cannot hold forever. Russia's foreign policy requires a new strategy and new policy instruments and mechanisms to implement it.

The US and Russia: Iran and Nuclear Weapons

James Collins — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

At the top of Secretary Clinton's agenda during her visit to Russia is the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions. Conflicting messages from President Medvedev and Foreign Minister Lavrov leave the outcome of those discussions in doubt.

Digging Their Own Graves at the Polls

Nikolai Petrov — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Municipal elections held in Russia on October 11 proved that most Russian voters seem to feel that elections have no direct bearing on their lives and that the authorities feel no impetus to institute change in the current Russian party system.

Worldwise: Russian Relations

James Collins, Dimitri Simes — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Russia and the United States are not likely to come to agreement on the best way to approach Iran’s nuclear ambitions any time soon. This issue is likely to be at the top of Secretary Clinton’s agenda during her time in Moscow.