US-Ukraine ties after the impeachment drama
(Atlantic Council) 2019 was an exceptionally turbulent year for US-Ukraine ties, but there are signs the relationship is getting back on track. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came to Kyiv…
From government reshuffle to snap parliamentary elections: Political renewal in Azerbaijan?
(New Eastern Europe) In a surprising move last December, Azerbaijan’s parliament voted to dissolve itself for presumably not living up to the president’s ambitious reform agenda. President Ilham Aliyev approved the…
Why are Republicans using Putin’s talking points? This study helps explain.
(Monkey Cage) (Co-authored with Olga Kamenchuk) During the impeachment hearings and trial of President Trump, former National Security Council official Fiona Hill and others accused Republican congressional leaders of adopting Russian President Vladimir…
BookAuthority’s 25 “Best New International Relations Books to Read” includes Greene and Robertson’s: Putin v. the People
BookAuthority’s “25 Best New International Relations Books to Read” includes Samuel A. Greene and Graeme B. Robertson’s book, Putin v. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia. “A fascinating, bottom-up exploration of contemporary…
Russia Struggles With the Chinese Challenge
(EDM) The scope of the epidemiological disaster unfolding in China has dawned on Russia remarkably late. Last Wednesday (January 29), President Vladimir Putin called a small meeting to check national readiness…
The New Competitive Authoritarianism
(Journal of Democracy) (Co-authored with Steven Levitsky) Competitive authoritarianism—in which the coexistence of meaningful democratic institutions and serious incumbent abuse yields electoral competition that is real but unfair—is alive and well, nearly…
Evolving Dynamics of Societal Security and the Potential for Conflict in Eastern Ukraine
(Europe-Asia Studies) (Co-authored with David J. Galbreath) In this essay we argue that changes in political structures in post-Soviet Ukraine have affected the potential for conflict during transition. Relying on organisational theory…
Comparative Politics of Exclusion in Europe and the Americas: Religious, Sectarian, and Racial Boundary Making since the Reformation
(Comparative Politics) Based on a critical reading of three recent books, I argue that the exclusion of Jews and Muslims, the two major non-Christian religious groups in Europe and the Americas,…
Ukraine Beyond the Impeachment Headlines
(Project Syndicate) Ukraine’s image is suffering from negative coverage surrounding the impeachment hearings of US President Donald Trump. Yet, while the country remains poor and corruption is rife, voters have…
Imagined Futures
(Moscow-On-Thames) It’s been a while since a major Putin policy address has been anything other than boring. Not today. Today, Putin proposed a radical reshaping of Russia’s political system. Kind…
How is Trump’s impeachment playing in Kyiv?
(Eurasianet) The scandal driving the impeachment proceedings in Washington, in which President Donald Trump stands accused of trying to coerce Ukrainian leaders for his personal political benefit, doesn’t seem to…
Can Azerbaijan Deliver on Reform Promises?
(IWPR) Azerbaijan’s much-vaunted government reforms have appeared to gather pace in recent months. Last autumn’s government reshuffle saw veteran apparatchiks replaced by young, often Western-educated officials. Notably, the influential presidential…