16 Items

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the opening ceremony at the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit, in Shanghai, China Wednesday, May 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Ralston, Pool)

AP Photo/Mark Ralston, Pool

Analysis & Opinions - Russia Matters

A Sino-Russian Military-Political Alliance Would Be Bad News for America

| May 12, 2017

When Vladimir Putin visits Beijing on May 14-15, he will likely join dozens of other countries’ leaders in singing the praises of President Xi Jinping’s international transport infrastructure initiative, known as “One Belt, One Road,” or OBOR. The fact that the Russian leadership has come around to supporting OBOR even though it will not necessarily be conducive to some of Russia’s vital interests signals Moscow’s readiness to pursue even closer ties with Beijing. This, in turn, could eventually culminate in the establishment of an official military-political alliance between the two countries if tensions between the West and Russia continue. The emergence of such an alliance would be bad news for America.

Simon Saradzhyan and Natasha Yefimova-Trilling interview former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about Russia and its relationship with Australia. (Benn Craig)

Benn Craig

- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

New Russia Matters Website Highlights Facts, Dispels Myths

| Spring 2017

Russia once again dominates headlines, but U.S. expertise on the country is in demonstrable decline. With the launch of its new website, Russia Matters hopes to bring clarity to U.S. citizens following Russia-related news.

In this Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, a ballot with a vote for Donald J. Trump is shown during a statewide presidential election recount in Waterford Township, Mich. Recounts of the presidential vote in three states highlight major vulnerabilities in the U.S. election system. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File

Analysis & Opinions - Russia Matters

For Russia and America, Election Interference Is Nothing New: 25 Stories

| Mar. 22, 2017

"This explainer provides a rundown of notable cases of alleged international election interference involving Washington or Moscow. This list is by no means exhaustive, and many of the allegations—especially in more recent cases for which information has not yet been declassified—remain disputed. Nevertheless, the following examples provide useful historical context that can help sharpen analysis of “Russiagate” and related stories."

Wearing traditional Kazakh costumes on the shoulders, from left, U.S. astronaut Michael Hopkins and Russia's cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky attend a press conference in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, March 11, 2014, shortly after their landing aboard Soyuz TMA-10M capsule. Hopkins together with the two Russia's cosmonauts landed safely in the Kazakh steppe aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule after a stay of over five months aboard the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Vasily Maximov, pool)

AP Photo/Vasily Maximov, pool

Analysis & Opinions - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

US-Russian space cooperation: a model for nuclear security

| Mar. 07, 2017

This interdependence between the US and Russian space programs persists even though the two countries are now living through what some pundits describe as a new Cold War. There was a time not so long ago, however, when the two nations viewed space solely as an area of strategic competition. The steps that Washington and Moscow took to transform their space rivalry into cooperation can serve today as a model for working together to help prevent nuclear terrorism, no matter how strained relations may seem.

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona, October 29, 2016.

Wikicommons photo by Gage Skidmore shared under a Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) license.

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Russia Matters

Trump’s Victory Bodes Well for US-Russia Ties, But Expect No Tectonic Shifts

| November 10, 2016

Proponents of improved U.S.-Russian relations might take heart in Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election. Tangible positive changes are certainly possible, but fundamental differences over issues such as U.S. missile defense, NATO expansion and Russia’s willingness to use force against its neighbors, as well as the absence of robust economic ties, make a qualitative breakthrough in the bilateral relationship unlikely.

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Analysis & Opinions - Perspectives on Peace and Security

Weapons Won't End the Conflict

| February 2015

The last several days have seen the once dormant debate—whether or not the U.S. should start supplying weapons to Ukraine—reignite.  The debate was revived by the release of a joint report by a group of ex-U.S. officials affiliated with three prominent American think tanks, which recommended that Washington urgently supply anti-tank missiles, counter-battery radars, and other military hardware to the Ukrainian armed forces so that the latter can deter Russia from escalating the conflict in Donbass.

Russia-backed separatists carry a coffin with their comrade during a funeral in the east Ukrainian village of Mospino, on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015.

AP Photo

Analysis & Opinions - The Washington Post

The West should not count on Russian sensitivity to casualties to deter Putin

| February 24, 2015

One argument in favor of the West arming Ukraine is that additional weapons will deter Russia due to Vladimir Putin’s sensitivity to Russian casualties. There is no official data on Russian casualties in Ukraine, though one Russian NGO claims to have identified 260 Russian soldiers and volunteers who have been killed in action in eastern Ukraine.Reported attempts to conceal the cause and location of some of these deaths indicate that Russia’s leaders are sensitive to killings of active-duty Russian soldiers in the neighboring country.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gestures during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec 29, 2014. He on Monday signed a bill dropping his country's nonaligned status but signaled that he will hold a referendum before seeking NATO membership.

(AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)

Analysis & Opinions - Moscow Times

NATO-Russian Relations Can Still Be Saved

| January 12, 2013

It is indisputable that the Ukraine crisis has dealt a serious blow to Russia's relations with core members of NATO. It would take many years for Moscow, Washington and Brussels to fully mend the fences even if the conflict in Ukraine were resolved tomorrow.

But as Russia's new military doctrine indicates, the Rubicon in NATO-Russian relations has not been crossed — at least not yet. While naming Russia's allies, the doctrine, which was published on Dec. 26, avoids designating either NATO as a whole or any of its specific members as adversaries.

Analysis & Opinions - RIA Novosti

View From the Global Tank: Russia, America Struggle to Kick MAD to the Curb

| October 11, 2013

If the Cold War hadn’t ended, the latest update on the number of the intercontinental missiles and bombers that the United States and Russia keep deployed against each other would have surely meant that heads would roll in Moscow. As it transpired from the New START Treaty total numbers, the US has nearly twice as many missiles and bombers deployed as Russia.