Alexei Arbatov is a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Director of the International Security Center at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations; member of the Editorial Board of Russia in Global Affairs.
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16 october 2010
Common Sense and Disarmament
The role of nuclear weapons in ensuring the status and security of the Russian Federation seems to be over-exaggerated. It was the over-reliance on the nuclear potential (and military might in general) that finally ruined the Soviet Union, as it deprived it of an incentive to carry out a profound political and economic modernization. Russia must not repeat that mistake of relying too much on nuclear weapons as a guarantee of security and international prestige.
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9 august 2008
Don’t Throw Stones in a Glass House
A “machismo” – completely down-to-earth, highly anti-idealistic and rigidly pragmatic – position by Russia cannot but evoke a strong response from the majority of the national elite and the general public. This hard stance looks especially appealing if one recalls the na?ve idealism of the late 1980s and the political tossing about and humiliations of the 1990s.
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8 august 2007
Is a New Cold War Imminent?
The West is faced with the difficult problem of choosing a policy toward Russia in the course of its long, deep and very contradictory transformation. Until now, the U.S. and many of its allies have been going from one extreme to another over this issue: from high hopes to bitter disillusionment, from excessive involvement to utter indifference and disregard, and from enthusiasm to suspicions and hostility.
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13 may 2007
Bureaucracy on the Rise
Putin can with the stroke of a pen fire any government official or the Cabinet as a whole, dissolve the State Duma or a local legislature, or put the squeeze on an oligarch. However, the president is powerless to get rid of a whole class of the Russian post-Communist nomenklatura, or compel them to act contrary to their corporate interests.
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8 february 2006
Russia: A Special Imperial Way?
It is a question of paramount historical and contemporary political importance whether a military empire is a normal form of existence for Russia. Or, on the contrary, has such a model finally become obsolete after twice bringing this great country to collapse?
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30 july 2005
Democracy and Nuclear Weapons
The very act of raising the issue of democratic control and accountability in nuclear policy can, at best, evoke bewilderment or, at worst, suspicion of evil intentions. Yet, not only is democratic control a legitimate issue, it is long overdue in Russia’s defense and security policy.
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8 february 2005
Winning a War While Not Losing the Peace
Is there anything in common between the armed conflicts in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq? The answer is, practically everything is different: their history, their nature, the composition of the conflicting parties and their goals, the legal basis, social and political consequences, etc. Yet, there are some points that permit us to compare these conflicts and even learn some vital lessons from them.
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13 april 2004
Horizontal Proliferation: New Challenges
The world is entering a fundamentally new stage in the proliferation of nuclear weapons – the most destructive and dangerous of WMD. But as distinct from the Cold War years, public opinion in the U.S., Western Europe and Russia has overcome its fear of nuclear weapons and no longer worries about nuclear disarmament prospects.
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21 march 2003
What Kind of Army Does Russia Need?
Russia’s need for a markedly different military organization became obvious, as never before, in the wake of the hostage drama at a theater center in Moscow. The fight against international terrorism and the threats posed by it requires profound changes in Russia’s military doctrine and in the armament of the army and law enforcement forces.
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"Russia in Global Affairs" is now available at Facebook
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The analytical report "The U.S. - Russa Relations after the "Reset": Building a New Agenda. A View from Russia" - free download
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"Towards an Аlliance of Europe" - Analytical Report by the Russian Group of the Valdai International Discussion Club is avaliable online
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New version of Russia in Global Affairs website is now avaliable
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A revolutionary chaos of the new world
[5645]
Sergey Karaganov -
The Russian-Georgian war as a turning point
[2825]
Fyodor Lukyanov -
The Dialectics of Rise and Decline
[1552]
Joseph Nye Jr -
Russia and Europe: Friends and interests
[1384]
Fyodor Lukyanov -
“Coercion to Partnership” and the Flaws of an Unbalanced World
[1365]
Alexei Bogaturov
A revolutionary chaos of the new world
The world is getting more troublesome and increasingly challenging right before our eyes.
Will Russia Lose Georgia for Good?
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili finally got what he couldn’t get for several years: an official visit to the White House.
Common Sense and Disarmament
The role of nuclear weapons in ensuring the status and security of the Russian Federation seems to be over-exaggerated. It was the over-reliance on the nuclear potential (and military might in general) that finally ruined the Soviet Union, as it deprived it of an incentive to carry out a profound political and economic modernization. Russia must not repeat that mistake of relying too much on nuclear weapons as a guarantee of security and international prestige.
Don’t Throw Stones in a Glass House
A “machismo” – completely down-to-earth, highly anti-idealistic and rigidly pragmatic – position by Russia cannot but evoke a strong response from the majority of the national elite and the general public. This hard stance looks especially appealing if one recalls the na?ve idealism of the late 1980s and the political tossing about and humiliations of the 1990s.
Is a New Cold War Imminent?
The West is faced with the difficult problem of choosing a policy toward Russia in the course of its long, deep and very contradictory transformation. Until now, the U.S. and many of its allies have been going from one extreme to another over this issue: from high hopes to bitter disillusionment, from excessive involvement to utter indifference and disregard, and from enthusiasm to suspicions and hostility.
Bureaucracy on the Rise
Putin can with the stroke of a pen fire any government official or the Cabinet as a whole, dissolve the State Duma or a local legislature, or put the squeeze on an oligarch. However, the president is powerless to get rid of a whole class of the Russian post-Communist nomenklatura, or compel them to act contrary to their corporate interests.
Russia: A Special Imperial Way?
It is a question of paramount historical and contemporary political importance whether a military empire is a normal form of existence for Russia. Or, on the contrary, has such a model finally become obsolete after twice bringing this great country to collapse?
Democracy and Nuclear Weapons
The very act of raising the issue of democratic control and accountability in nuclear policy can, at best, evoke bewilderment or, at worst, suspicion of evil intentions. Yet, not only is democratic control a legitimate issue, it is long overdue in Russia’s defense and security policy.
Winning a War While Not Losing the Peace
Is there anything in common between the armed conflicts in Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq? The answer is, practically everything is different: their history, their nature, the composition of the conflicting parties and their goals, the legal basis, social and political consequences, etc. Yet, there are some points that permit us to compare these conflicts and even learn some vital lessons from them.
Horizontal Proliferation: New Challenges
The world is entering a fundamentally new stage in the proliferation of nuclear weapons – the most destructive and dangerous of WMD. But as distinct from the Cold War years, public opinion in the U.S., Western Europe and Russia has overcome its fear of nuclear weapons and no longer worries about nuclear disarmament prospects.
What Kind of Army Does Russia Need?
Russia’s need for a markedly different military organization became obvious, as never before, in the wake of the hostage drama at a theater center in Moscow. The fight against international terrorism and the threats posed by it requires profound changes in Russia’s military doctrine and in the armament of the army and law enforcement forces.
Russia Is Not Prepared to Restore the Empire
When the Baltic countries entered NATO and the European Union a couple of years ago, many thought it was the end of the centuries-old "red line." Euro-Atlantic organizations had crossed into the former Russian and Soviet empires.
Russia at the Turn of the Century: Hopes and Reality
In September 2004, the Russian city of Novgorod hosted an international conference entitled Russia at the Turn of the Century: Hopes and Reality. Its organizers were the RIA Novosti news agency, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Russia in Global Affairs, and The Moscow Times.
2002-2011