(Re)Engaging Russia in an Era of Uncertainty
The Kremlin was able to consolidate its domestic authority and assert itself globally during Russia’s economic boom, but economic, security, and governance crises have shaken Moscow’s confidence. Dmitri Trenin and Samuel Greene suggest that if Moscow is to overcome its current challenges, it must begin thinking strategically by engaging in substantive discussions on critical global issues.
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Towards a Stronger European Security
Twenty years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall promised great hope that Cold War divides would vanish, ushering in a new era of peace and security based on what former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called a “common European home” and former U.S. President George H.W. Bush called a “Europe whole and free.”
Over the intervening years this moment never arrived, but neither has the hope died. This month, we will initiate an international commission to build the intellectual framework for an inclusive transatlantic security system for the 21st century — the Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative — devised by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Also read "Talking to Moscow" by Dmitri Trenin, who argues that although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposed European security treaty has its flaws, but it is a first step toward an important conversation that must take place if a viable and undivided Euro-Atlantic security space is to be created.
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Medvedev Is Tasked with Modernization
At some point Putin and Medvedev will have to decide between giving priority to the survival of the current system and accepting Russia's steady marginalization, or supporting modernization by opening up the system and putting its survival at risk.
Also read "The Kremlin Kowtow" by Lilia Shevtsova. To the dismay of Russian reformers, a consensus seems to be growing among Western policymakers and intellectuals that Russia is not ready for liberalism and that there are even certain advantages to dealing with the illiberal political order built by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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Is Russia Losing the Caucasus?
The North Caucasus looks and feels more and more like Russia’s neighbor than a constituent part of the state. As the people in the region have become disappointed in local leaders and the Kremlin, many of them turn to Islam as their last hope to achieve structure and peace.
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Foreign Minister Poroshenko: Challenges and Priorities of Ukraine's Domestic and Foreign Policy
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko spoke at Carnegie about the domestic and foreign policy challenges facing Ukraine, ahead of the first presidential elections since the Orange Revolution of 2004.
Also read "The Difficulty of Being Ukraine" by Mark Medish.
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U.S. Policy in Central Asia: Looking Ahead
In her testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Martha Brill Olcott argues that as the war in Afghanistan begins to enter a new phase, it is important to reexamine some of the premises of U.S. policy in the Central Asian region and to consider whether the conditions in the region have changed in the last decade.
Also listen to "'The Stans' in Transition" with Nikolai Petrov.
Featured Event
NATO and Russia: A New Beginning
In his first major foreign policy address, NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, presented the basis for a new strategic partnership with Russia, laying out the specific areas where practical cooperation could be extended.
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.
