The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Russia
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is on a rising trajectory. At the 2022 Samarkand Summit, Iran officially signed a memorandum of obligation to join as a full-fledged member. For the…
Tbilisi’s Transactional Foreign Policy Leads Georgians Astray
Conventional wisdom holds that small states in hostile environments have minimal menus of foreign policy options. This theory is being tested in the countries wedged between Russia and the EU/NATO…
Russia’s Administrators: The Weakest Link in a Crisis
The evolution of the Russian political system in the past 20 years was guided by several priorities that had a lasting impact on who we see as public officials at…
Ukrainians and Russians Are Not One People—But Perhaps Not for the Reasons You Think
At the Valdai conference in October 2022, President Vladimir Putin once again claimed that “Ukrainians and Russians are one people.” This preposterous claim that he has repeated on numerous occasions…
Russian Protests Following the Invasion of Ukraine
Did the full-scale invasion of Ukraine upend protest mobilization in Russia? When and where did Russians take to the streets to express support and opposition to the war? And did…
Consolidating Values to Consolidate Power in Russia
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin and regime supporters frequently reference the need to defend Russia’s cultural and spiritual existence. Putin has portrayed this conflict in holy war…
Russia’s Paramilitarization and its Consequences
For years, the Russian authorities have emphasized the military’s role in Russia’s nationbuilding and developed strong textual and visual narratives about its status as a cornerstone of the country’s historical…
Exodus: Russian Repression and Social “Movement”
What does it mean when a social movement that opposes government policies or the regime itself must physically relocate to continue its advocacy? What happens when movement participants flee their…
The Ukrainian Resistance Movement in the Occupied Territories
Initial studies of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion focused either on non-violent protest activity or unconventional warfare. Such one-faceted studies allow for detailed subject analysis but prevent constructing a full picture of the…
Using Russian Prisoners to Fight in Ukraine: Legal or Illegal?
Since July of last year, about 40,000 inmates have joined the private Russian military company Wagner Group to fight on the front lines. The head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, explained…
Ramzan Kadyrov’s Gamble in Ukraine: Keeping Chechnya Under Control While Competing for Federal Power
A year after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the challenges faced by the Russian army in Ukraine opened the door for internal turmoil among its actors and…
The Risk of Protest Won’t Stop Election Manipulation: Implications for Democracy Assistance
Some of the most dramatic conclusions to an authoritarian regime have come when mass protests arise against a rigged election. Images of banner-waving crowds in the thousands often capture international…