Moscow Summit: Expert Briefing Live from Moscow
Although Russia and the United States approach the July 6 – 8 Moscow summit with significantly different aims that make it unclear, what, if any, groundwork might be established to improve U.S.–Russian relations, both crucially seek constructive dialogue on arms control and nonproliferation.
Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, Lilia Shevtsova, chair of Carnegie Moscow’s domestic politics program, and Ambassador James Collins, director of the Russia and Eurasia program and former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, offered insights and Russian perspectives in a live streamed video briefing from Moscow ahead of President Obama’s visit.
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Foreign Minister Lavrov on Russia-U.S. Relations
Recent signals of goodwill between the United States and Russia must be translated into tangible achievements to undo the damage of the last twenty years, according to Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister of the Russian Federation. Missile defense, NATO expansion, and the previous administration’s vocal disagreements with Russia over the August 2008 Georgia war must be addressed as the relationship moves forward.
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U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership
NATO membership is Georgia’s top foreign policy priority, and the Georgian government is working to fulfill the criteria of membership, said Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze at Carnegie on June 23. Restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity is perhaps the most problematic requirement to meet, and U.S. support for Georgia as it works through this process will be critical.
In a discussion moderated by Ambassador James Collins, director of Carnegie’s Russia-Eurasia program, Vashadze asserted that Russia continues to pose an existential threat to Georgia, by claiming a right to interfere in what it calls zones of privileged interest. Given the imbalance in geographic size and military power between the two countries, an international security mechanism—whether an international monitoring force or NATO security guarantees—is necessary to uphold Georgia’s security. Multimedia resources available.
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Russia and the Caspian in the Global Energy Balance
The possibility of repeated Ukrainian-Russian gas cutoffs as well as persistent discussions of a new great game in Central Asia illustrate the need for a serious examination of Russia and the Caspian’s role in the global energy balance and a re-thinking of U.S. policy toward the region.
To facilitate this discussion, Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian and Amy Myers Jaffe from the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy joined Carnegie Martha Brill Olcott to present the Baker Institute’s new study, Russia and the Caspian States in the Global Energy Balance.
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Promoting Regional Cooperation and Development in Central Asia
On March 2-3, 2009, the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Wolfensohn Center for Development at the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Carnegie Europe, and the Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE) with the support of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program of the Asian Development Bank, held an international conference on “Promoting Regional Cooperation and Development in Central Asia” in Brussels, Belgium.
Featured Event
Pushing the Reset Button in U.S.-Russian Relations?
On issues ranging from energy security to Iranian proliferation and Afghanistan, U.S.-Russia cooperation remains vital.
Resources
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Carnegie Moscow Center
Established in 1993, the Carnegie Moscow Center is comprised of foreign and Russian researchers collaborating with Washington staff on a variety of policy-relevant projects.
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Central Asian Voices
Carnegie’s web portal, Central Asian Voices, features timely analysis of regional issues and a forum to enable the exchange of ideas among policymakers, analysts, journalists, bloggers, and informed readers across the globe. Written in English and Russian, Central Asian Voices covers top news stories from the region.
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Pro et Contra
A bi-monthly Russian-language journal focusing on Russian and European affairs. With articles from leading policy experts from around the world, Pro et Contra is published by the Carnegie Moscow Center. -
Designing U.S. Policy Towards Russia
The website of the “Designing U.S Policy toward Russia” initiative of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences features a “Strategic Assessment” of the U.S.-Russia relationship, including detailed analysis of where Russia fits (or could fit) within the U.S. foreign policy agenda, challenges facing the bilateral relationship, and specific recommendations for how to structure and conduct a high-level strategic dialogue. The site also the site offers a list of other recent reports that display the breadth and depth of current thinking on the U.S.-Russia.
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