Violence, Politics, and Ethnicity in the “Russian Riviera”
The Krasnodar region is a wealthy province in southern Russia with a population of over five million. Located on the Black Sea coast, it borders Ukraine, Georgia (the breakaway region…
Extending the ‘Reset’ in U.S.-Russia Relations
Was the ratification of the New START treaty the one and only sign of the reset between the United States and Russia? What is the direction for their new relationship?…
‘Two-Level Games’ in U.S.-Russia Relations
U.S.-Russia relations today reflect a classic case of the security dilemma. Mutual suspicion between Moscow and Washington go beyond natural concerns about each other’s build-up of offensive capabilities. Each state…
The Latent Resonance of the Arab Revolutions in the North Caucasus
The spectacular explosion of revolutionary energy across the greater Middle East in the first weeks of 2011 reconfigured many international endeavors, including the Israeli-Palestinian pseudo-peace process and NATO’s wishful quasi-consolidation.…
Russia’s “Libya Debate”: Political Meanings and Repercussions
Russia’s reaction to the recent uprisings in the Middle East and Libya, in particular, was striking for two reasons. First, it unmasked multiple trends in the Kremlin’s foreign policy machinery.…
Yawning through the Arab Spring: Resilient Regimes in Central Asia and the Caucasus
In the weeks and months after the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, there was hope among commentators and opposition figures that some post-Soviet regimes might be equally susceptible to uprisings…
Direct Impact: The Influence of the Arab Spring on the Circassian World
The Arab Spring is an interregional and multinational event, with many ethnic minorities participating from afar and in situ—the Jewish community in Tunisia, Copts in Egypt, Berbers in Libya, Darfuris…
GLONASS: Problems and Challenges
Russia‟s Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) is expected to become fully operational this year. Heavily endorsed in recent years by both members of the ruling tandem, it was designed…
Ending Bilateral U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Control
For more than 40 years, negotiators from Moscow and Washington have engaged in countless meetings about strategic arms control. Several bilateral agreements resulted from these talks during the Cold War,…
The New European Missile Defense Architecture: Is There a Place for Ukraine?
U.S. President Barack Obama rejected his predecessor’s proposed ballistic missile defense system in Europe and substituted it with a localized theater system. This was generally understood to be a significant…
Nuclear Weapon Disagreements within NATO: Sources and Implications
In the last few years, debates within NATO on the future of the Alliance’s nuclear policy have gone through a number of twists and turns. The adoption of the new…
The Logic of Kyrgyzstan’s Base Policy
Kyrgyzstan’s February 2009 decision to close the U.S. military base at the country’s Manas airfield caught many by surprise. The decision was not preceded by domestic debate about a possible…