Russia

Russia and Georgia to Reopen Border Crossing

By James Joyner

Georgia and Russia have agreed to re-open a key artery closed since 2006, another sign that Moscow would like to repair relations with its former satellite.

French Ship Sale to Russia Must Be Blown Off Course

By David Smith

The French Navy ship Mistral tied up at a downtown Saint Petersburg pier November 23. With the golden dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral shimmering in the background, the amphibious assault ship made a perfect sales promotion picture, which was precisely its mission.  Some in Paris—led by the Elysée Palace—want to sell Mistral class ships to […]

Russian Economy and the Balance of Power

By Nikolas Gvosdev

In assessing the balance of power between Russia and the West throughout the Eurasian space, many analysts have focused on political decisions. Does the Obama administration’s decision to cancel the deployment of a missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic leave pro-American governments in the region anxious to be integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community […]

Transcript: Missile Defense in Europe – Panel 3

Full transcript of the third panel entitled “The Way Forward with Moscow” at the 2009 missile defense conference “Missile Defense in Europe: Next Steps.”

The Russia-Georgia Conflict: An Invasion by Any Other Name

By David Smith

The long awaited European Union-commissioned report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia was published last week.  Unsurprisingly, it largely corroborates Georgian accounts of Russia’s August 2008 invasion while blaming Georgia for sparking the conflict.

EU: Georgia ‘Triggered’ Russia’s Illegal Invasion

By James Joyner

As widely anticipated, an EU report on last year’s Russian invasion of Georgia finds plenty of blame to go around, finding that Tblisi “triggered” the conflict but that Moscow violated international law by its invasion and with numerous atrocities thereafter.

First Annual Members’ Conference – The Russian Reset

By James Joyner

Summary of the breakout conversation “The Russian Reset” at the 2009 Annual Members’ Conference. PARTICIPANTS: Hon. R. Nicholas Burns,* Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard; Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Hon. Richard R. Burt,* Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates; Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany; Member, Atlantic Council Strategic Advisors Group Mr. Ronald Freeman,* […]

Merkel Win Opens Caucuses Options

By Borut Grgic

Europe’s broken Caucasus-Caspian policy is partly in trouble due to Germany’s Russia policy, which was put in place by the former German Chancellor, Mr. Schroeder, and faithfully executed by his SPD successor, Mr. Steinmeier who shared power with Ms. Merkel in the last German government.

Obama’s Missile Defense Decision: The View From Europe

By James Joyner

President Obama’s decision to abandon the missile defense systems in Poland and Czech Republic agreed to by his predecessor has created a firestorm of controversy, with quite different reactions in Russia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and domestically.

Russia: Change You Can’t Believe In

By Robert Manning

Try this as a thought experiment: imagine a dynamic modern Russia with a robust knowledge economy, diversified industry, and reasonably functioning legal system where starting a business –or adjudicating disputes — is no more difficult than in say, Turkey or Malaysia. Not easy, is it? In fact, in a remarkable article published on Gazeta.ru, a […]