The Role of Cossacks in Russia’s Soft Power Toolkit
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Cossacks have become a highly recognizable feature of modern Russia, playing a central role in the annexation of Crimea and promotion of secessionism in Donbas. Beyond…
COVID-19 “Humanitarianism”: The Geopolitics of Russia’s Coronavirus Assistance
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) On April 1, 2021, an Antonov AN-124 Russian aircraft landed in New York City’s JFK airport with cargo of personal protective gear and medical equipment. The…
Three Decades of Post-Soviet Institution-Building: Slow Start, Expansion, Stagnation
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) As this year draws to a close, Russia and most of the former Soviet states will mark three decades since the USSR was dissolved and a…
The Arctic as a Test for a “Stable and Predictable” Russia
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Two events of major import for Russia’s foreign policymaking occurred in quick sequence in the middle of this pandemically perturbed year of 2021. On May 20,…
Russia’s Approach to Afghanistan Following the Taliban Takeover
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) The key words to describe Russia’s immediate reaction to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 are pragmatic, relatively calm, and restrained. While the Kremlin…
Smoke & Mirrors: How Domestic Regime Concerns Made Strategic Stability Meaningless and Why It Still Matters Nevertheless
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) One of the catchphrases employed by U.S. and Russian officials during negotiations, “strategic stability,” is presented by them as a key shared objective that could form…
The Epoch of Regional Powers: Why Russia Lost and Turkey Won in Nagorno-Karabakh
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) For the first time ever, an external actor and a NATO member—Turkey—became engaged in military hostilities in the former Soviet space. The Second Karabakh War in…
Self-Selection into the Public Sector When Corruption is Widespread: The Paradoxical Case of Contemporary Russia
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Among policymakers and scholars, there is a near consensus that corruption—defined as the use of public office or resources for private gain—imposes numerous harms on societies,…
Footing Restored: Nudging Ukraine Forward in the Biden-Zelensky Era
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Ukraine’s independence and thirty years of Ukrainian-U.S. diplomatic relations—a long road traveled together where the two parties have been…
Last Man Standing: What the Latest Dispute Over Tatarstan’s Presidency Tells Us About the Enduring Ethnic Factor in Russian Politics
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) In 2010, thirteen of Russia’s ethnic republics had their own presidencies. Today, the Republic of Tatarstan is the only region to retain the institution, despite a…
The Collapse of the Afghan Government Provides a Challenge for China and Russia, Not a Windfall
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) The collapse of the Afghan government and takeover by the Taliban is not a net win for China and Russia, nor will these developments automatically cement…
Sanctions & War: Contending Western-Russian Approaches and Prospects for Strategic Stability
(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) There is a conspicuous paradox between the rising frequency and intensity of U.S./EU-Russian sanctions and the mutual resignation about their ineffectiveness at achieving stated objectives. Notwithstanding…