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The Making of a De Facto State: Warlords and Militarized Society in Nagorno-Karabakh

“Warlordism” is sometimes seen as a self-repairing strategy for weak states. This memo assesses the rise of the twin phenomena of warlordism and militarism in the de facto state of…

Is a Junior Partner Really a Partner? Making Sense of Ukrainian Foreign Policy

There is a widely held belief among observers regarding the extent of change that has been implemented by Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych and his team, particularly in the field of…

Institutionalizing Security Cooperation between Russia and the West

Are there any mechanisms that would allow the security relationship between Russia and NATO member states—whether European or North American—to become deeply and permanently cooperative? On paper, cooperation was institutionalized long…

Institutional Trap in Russian Politics: Still No Way Out?

In the 2000s, Russia’s political structure demonstrated a trajectory of decay across major institutions of state, politics, and governance. Despite the fact that numerous negative assessments of Russia’s institutional development…

The Political Economy of Oil in Russia: ‘Really Existing Capitalism?’

The past year has seen oil prices return to near-record levels and the Russian economy return to growth. It has also seen major Russian oil companies discuss partnerships and file…

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…

The Bulava Missile: What Propels Its Unsteady Flight?

Bulava, a solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), has been developed as part of a new-generation system for the naval component of Russia’s strategic nuclear triad. The Bulava’s deployment onboard the…

External Forces, Nationalism, and the Stagnation of Democratization in Georgia

Since the so-called Rose Revolution, Georgia has been a promising testing ground for theories of international influence on democratization. The Georgian government was a collection of young “democrats,” heavily dependent…

Ukrainian Teeter-Totter: The Vices and Virtues of Neopatrimonial Democracy

A successful, consolidated democracy requires all stakeholders to accept unalterable ground rules—when certain “points of no return” get crystallized and democratic, rational procedures are adhered to. Why are some polities…

US-Russian Cooperation in the Caspian: An Opportunity Worth Pursuing

For the United States, the strategic importance of the Caspian region has increased dramatically in recent years. The Caspian littoral states have come to provide an important set of opportunities…

What Happened on Manezh Square? Ideology, Institutions, and Myths Regarding the Anti-Migrant Riots of December 2010

The nationalist riots that swept over major Russian cities in mid-December 2010 took nearly everyone by surprise. Anti-migrant sentiment was on the rise, but no one expected the protests to…

Tajikistan’s New Trade: Cross-border Commerce and the China-Afghanistan Link

The official Tajik narrative on cross-border relations with Afghanistan focuses on security concerns, namely the spread of drug trafficking and Islamic militancy. Presenting these threats as entirely external in origin…

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PONARS Eurasia Podcast

PONARS Eurasia