Putin is Caught in a Classic Trap
(Business Insider) Putin is caught in a classic trap: Russia’s military advantage is fading and certain to decrease further. Sergey Aleksashenko wants everyone to stop calling Russia weak. He contends that…
Six Reasons Why Russia Should be Recognized as a Party to the Conflict in Ukraine
(Wilson Center) The fluctuating intensity of warfare in the Donbas region should be seen neither as a step toward freezing the conflict nor toward achieving a lasting peace. While Russia…
Aborted Offensive in Donbas on Eve of G7 Summit
(EDM) It was hardly surprising that the fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was broken last week by an exchange of artillery and tank fire after weeks of deployment of Russian troops…
Why Autocrats Love FIFA
(Moscow Times) (Co-authored with C. Walker) President Vladimir Putin's impassioned defense of FIFA and its once-defiant leader is a reminder of the strong link between autocrats and high-level international sports. Since the FIFA story broke, the Kremlin…
Bordering on Insanity: Afghanistan’s Struggle to Control Its Borders
(Foreign Affairs) On a tour of the Afghan-Pakistan border a couple years after the collapse of the Taliban government, Afghanistan’s minister of the interior was in for a rude awakening.…
To Thomas Graham: We Should Understand Russian History Differently
In a recent Financial Times op-ed (“Europe’s Problem is with Russia, not Putin”) Thomas Graham, a managing director at Kissinger Associates and former senior director for Russia on the US…
What 18 Focus Groups in the Former USSR Taught us about America’s Image Problems
(Wilson Quarterly) (Co-authored with Jane Zavisca) The United States has a major public relations problem in former Soviet countries. Not only in Russia, but in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and even Ukraine, ordinary people…
Moscow Conference on International Security 2015 Part 5: International cooperation in combating terrorism
With apologies for the long delay, today I'm posting the final installment of my notes from the 2015 Moscow Conference on International Security, covering the panel on combating terrorism and…
Weakening Russia Curtails Population’s Access to Publicly Available Information
(EDM) Russia’s deteriorating economic situation is exacerbating the various social problems in the country, and the authorities are apparently finding no other way to deal with such issues but to shut…
The Eastern Partnership after the Riga Summit: Avoiding the Path of Least Resistance
(FIIA) The EU should be warned against curtailing its ambitions in the Eastern Neighbourhood. Half-hearted policies will not lead to the systemic transformation of the region. Only a more robust,…
Russians see Ukraine as an illegitimate state
(Monkey Cage/WP) (Co-authored with Mikhail Alexseev) Why have so many Russian citizens seemingly been so cavalier about the dismemberment of Ukraine, a sovereign state that majorities of Russia’s population had long viewed…
Moscow Conference on International Security 2015 Part 4: Russian views of NATO
In addition, to the plenary session, there were two panels at this year's MCIS conference. The second, on the role of military and political instruments in ensuring regional and global…