The U.S.-Russia ‘Reset’: A Skeptical View
It has been more than two years since the Barack Obama administration initiated its so-called reset in the United States’ relations with the Russian Federation. Some might argue that it…
Three Perspectives on Political Islam in Central Asia
This memo explores political Islam in Central Asia from three perspectives: that of (1) U.S. government analysts; (2) Central Asian government leaders; and (3) everyday Central Asian Muslims. Drawing on…
These Colors May Run: The Backlash Against the U.S.-Backed ‘Democratic Revolutions’ in Eurasia
The victory of Viktor Yanukovych in the second round of Ukraine’s 2010 presidential election has been widely portrayed as a rebuke of the 2004 Orange Revolution and the pro-Western alignment…
Recurring Referendums: The Struggle for Constitutional ‘Reform’ in Kyrgyzstan
With the adoption of its new constitution by referendum on June 27, 2010, Kyrgyzstan made history by becoming only the second state in post-Soviet Eurasia (after Moldova, and not including…
Russian-Chinese Oil Relations: Dominance or Negotiation?
Russia and China are destined by geography and development to be linked. For its part, China needs to import large quantities of oil (and gas). Oil production in the country…
The Kyrgyz Crisis and the Political Logic of Central Asia’s Weak Regional Security Organizations
For the second time in five years, political events in Kyrgyzstan shook the Central Asia region and caught the international community off-guard. In early April 2010, a few sporadic protests…
The Kabardino-Balkaria Insurgency: A Comparative Analysis of Ideological Trends in the North Caucasus
In recent years, the North Caucasus has experienced an upsurge of violence and terrorist acts. After the Beslan hostage crisis and its backlash on the Chechen movement’s international legitimacy, there…
Citizens and Compatriots: The Politics of Citizenship Policy in Russia
When Russian forces went into South Ossetia last year, Russia cited the protection of its citizens as one justification for its actions. That more than half of South Ossetia’s 70,000…
Kyiv and Tbilisi: No Longer Washington’s Favorites?
Since Barack Obama has come to power, the United States has not fundamentally distanced itself from Ukraine and Georgia or, as some critics would have it, abandoned them to their…
Russia-Georgia Today: An Illusory Stability
Both the frozen and unfrozen conflicts of the past two decades in post-Soviet Eurasia have undermined regional progress and cooperation and have negatively impacted broader European security. Weak states and…
Russia’s State Armaments Program 2020: Is the Third Time the Charm for Military Modernization?
For the first two years of the Russian military reform program that began in October 2008, the top priority of the Ministry of Defense was reorganization. This involved the transformation…
Has Moscow Come to Terms with Iran?
In strictly geographic terms, Iran is not Russia’s immediate neighbor: Azerbaijan on the western side of the Caspian Sea, and Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan on the eastern side form wide buffer…