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9 february 2018
The Confrontation Between the West and Russia: A Tale of Concentric Circles
Much like Europeans do not fully grasp the angst generated by prospects of Western-incited regime change in Russia, Russians dismiss far too easily how toxic in the EU is Moscow’s political and financial backing of European extreme right-wing movements.
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5 february 2018
Highs and Lows: Russia’s Foreign Policy at the start of 2018
The most memorable developments in Russia’s foreign policy in the past year include a breakthrough in the Middle East; a further escalation of the confrontation with the United States; continued alienation from Europe; and a tactical advance in Asia. Russia has significantly expanded its foreign policy arsenal, but there is still a sharp contrast between the country’s foreign policy ambitions and the limited capabilities of its economy.
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5 february 2018
The Syrian Congress in Sochi: Too Much Too Soon
The Syrian National Congress was held in Sochi on January 30 and reportedly gathered close to 1,500 Syrians to kick-start the national dialogue by giving platform to the broader Syrian community.
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1 february 2018
Russian Approaches to the United States: Algorithm Change Is Overdue
The usual “top-down” algorithm of Russian-American relations will not work under Trump. Hence, it is necessary to change drastically the algorithm – to start building relationships on the “bottom-up” principle.
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1 february 2018
A Winter Thaw on the Korean Peninsula
Throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games, the event has served as a platform for nationalism, but also for advancing peace and human dignity in the spirit of friendly competition. When the Games begin next month on the tumultuous Korean Peninsula, one hopes the legacy of peacemaking and rapprochement prevails.
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31 january 2018
Russia and Europe: From Romanticism to Pragmatism
Moscow and Brussels are to keep pace moving forward
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31 january 2018
International Security and «Turbid Waters» of Cyberspace
Among many topics, cyberspace issues occupy a special place on the current agenda.
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31 january 2018
US Sanctions Against Russia: Useless Lists? The Future of Article 241
The US Treasury Department submitted a list of Russian “oligarchs” to Congress. This was done under PL 115-44 (CAATSA) adopted on August 2, 2017.
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29 january 2018
US-Russia-Turkey Dynamics in Syria After ‘Olive Branch’: One Door Closes, Another Opens
In recent months, the Kremlin’s priorities in Syria have shifted from fighting a long war to seeking a quick peace.
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29 january 2018
The Era of American Stasis
Yet again, in the United States, large parts of the government are facing shutdown because of deadlock in the US Senate – the only country in the developed world where this kind of thing happens. How on earth has a country which for so long was a model for democracy, good government and modernity in general got itself into this mess?
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26 january 2018
Towards ‘Grand Coalition’: How the Agenda of German Social Democrats Has Evolved
The future of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) depends on the coalition with Christian Democrats. But it is no less important for the political future of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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26 january 2018
The Arab World: Between Violence and Consensus
Perhaps the most significant element of the socio-political life of the region during those years, at least to the outside observer, was violence.
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24 january 2018
UN Security Council Should Stop a Bloodbath and Declare Afrin and Northern Syria a ‘Safe Haven’
The Kurds after their setbacks in the aftermath of their independence referendum of 25th of September in 2017 in Iraq are facing another tragedy, but this time in Afrin in the western part of Kurdistan called Rojava.
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24 january 2018
Securing the Digital Transition
Within a few decades, the Internet has transformed the global economy and rendered the old Westphalian order increasingly obsolete. But without a new governance framework to manage cyber threats and abuses, what has been a boon to globalization could become its undoing.
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22 january 2018
Trump’s First Year in Office: the Impact Is Profound and Controversial
Donald Trump enters the second year of his presidency as one of the most controversial politicians in the US history. Opinions vary greatly, but one thing is clear: the past year has been marked by fundamental changes in the United States’ domestic and foreign policy, with many results of the previous administration virtually wiped out.
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22 january 2018
Russia's Changing Relations with the West: Prospects for a New Hybrid System
At the end of 2016, both the political and expert communities in Russia appeared to be very pessimistic about the future of the world order in general, and the about the future of the West in particular.
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19 january 2018
Contrary to Expectations, US-Russian Relations Deteriorate Under President Trump
Donald Trump’s presidency began a year ago with widespread expectations of improvement in U.S.-Russian relations; there was even loose talk of a grand bargain. His first year in office ends, however, with relations in worse shape than he found them.
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17 january 2018
The Tragedy of Russian Foreign Policy. Book Review: “Different Times: Essays on Foreign Policy” by Anatoly Adamishin
Russia is neither doomed to have adversarial relations with the West nor destined to have friendly ones with it: it is all in the hands of policymakers who need to learn, also from their own mistakes. Anatoly Adamishin’s book provides them with a rich body of experience to work from.
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16 january 2018
The Pre-Olympic Thaw Comes As Good News, but What Next for the Two Koreas?
On January 1, 2018, the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un delivered a traditional New Year message, which is perceived as a "task for the current year" and is an important statement from the point of view of determining the country's leadership goals.
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16 january 2018
An Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove: the Principles that Defined the American Age
In 1918, President of the United States Woodrow Wilson presented a draft peace treaty to Congress aimed at putting an end to four years of bloodshed caused by the First World War. The document differed from the spirit and principles of the peace accords concluded in the history of international relations.
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15 january 2018
Is America First?
Late last year, President of the United States Donald Trump presented the country’s new National Security Strategy.
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10 january 2018
Comment of the Year: The Middle East – Syria
It must be stated right from the outset that the outgoing year has failed to bring this long-suffering region either any perceptible change for the better or a consummation of aspirations that provided a powerful impetus to the million-strong protests in the Arab world seven years ago.
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10 january 2018
What Does 2018 Have in Store for the Kremlin?
How does the world in 2018 look from the Kremlin? Judging from statements and interviews of Russian leaders, the world is not a very cool place these days.
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9 january 2018
Can Movement Politics Renew European Democracy?
One might expect diffuse, grassroots movements that emerge from large-scale street protests to be more inclusive, deliberative, and democratic than traditional political parties. But the proliferation of personality-driven movements on both the right and the left in recent years calls that assumption into question.
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9 january 2018
Insights and Recommendations
This compilation is meant as a sampling of Graham’s views. The quotes below are divided into categories similar to those in Russia Matters’ news and analysis digests, reflecting the most pertinent topic areas for U.S.-Russian relations broadly and for drivers of the two countries’ policies toward one another.
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9 january 2018
New World Vision
The mankind enters an era of critical transformation. The conflict between different political forces is deepening.
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9 january 2018
Combating Future Uncertainties: Goals for 2018
Combating future uncertainties is the main task when it comes to forecasting anything. Speaking about international relations, there are two key uncertainties here – the unknown motives of actors in a crisis and the likelihood of spontaneous relevant events.
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29 december 2017
Main Results of 2017: Energetic Russia and the Greater Eurasia Community
The main achievement in Russia’s foreign policy for 2017, and for several years prior to that, has been the development of a strategic concept, for the first time since 1991. The physical embodiment of this concept is the idea of the Greater Eurasian Partnership.
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28 december 2017
US Sanctions Against Russia: The Forecast for 2018
The US sanctions bill (PL 115-44) offers a clear idea of the parameters and dimensions of the US sanctions policy for 2018.
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26 december 2017
2017: A Lost Year for U.S.-Russia Relations
Any hopes that the incoming Trump administration might have been able to provide a fresh stimulus to improving ties with Russia were quickly smashed almost before the administration took office.
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It is not Russia that is shaping this world order, it is history.
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Sergey Lavrov -
How to Win a Cold War
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Sergey Karaganov -
Shadows Over the Putin-Trump Summit
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Fyodor Lukyanov -
Russia–Turkey Relations Need a Stronger Foundation
(945)
Andrey Kortunov -
Chances for a New “Peace of Westphalia”?
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Kancho Stoychev, Andrei Raichev
How to Win a Cold War
It is about time to draft a truly new foreign policy concept as the previous narrative has exhausted itself, being more of a ritual than a guide to action. Russia needs “strategic patience” as never before.
Russia-Japan -- peace can wait
Putin has snubbed Abe as he boosts links with China amid growing US hostility to Beijing and Moscow.
Mistakes in Syria Are Inevitable
Syria continues to be the key newsmaker when it comes to the international agenda. With the breakthrough agreement between Russia and Turkey and the recent downing of the Russian plane, the situation offers more questions than answers and remains the matter of the biggest concern.
Where Is the West As Endgame in Syria Looms?
It is high time that the US, and especially the UK, accepted that their war in Syria has been lost – or at least that their original objective, the removal of Bashar al-Assad has not been achieved. Are they prepared to pursue the fight now at the expense of Idlib’s 3 million civilians?
Boosting the USE of national currencies among BRICS
The use of national currencies among developing countries is acquiring increasing importance as the developing economies are building their own development banks and integration platforms against the backdrop of rising protectionist pressures in the developed world.
US Indo-Pacific Strategy: Myths and Reality
Facing its ‘most dynamic and formidable competitor in modern history’, Washington increasingly does away with hopeful thinking and seeks new approaches towards Asia. It raised the concept of the Indo-Pacific region. But what strategy is behind this buzzword? And what does it mean for Asia?
The New Global Governance: Towards a More Sustainable Framework
Faced with threats ranging from climate change to hugely disruptive technological advances, the world is clearly at a crossroads. More than ever a stable, inclusive and global governance is needed.