The Forgotten Abkhazia: Anatomy of Post-Socialist Ethnic War
Local wars in the Caucasus have always tended to follow precedents–whether in the 19th century, in 1917-21, or in the period of 1989-94. It remains uncertain whether the NATO operation…
Nuclear De-emphasizing in Russia’s Military Thinking: Phantom or Reality?
Shortly after coming into power, Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration significantly changed Moscow's foreign and security priorities. These changes were based upon the realization that the real and present danger…
Will the West Reduce Russia’s Debt?
Having successfully rescheduled its debt to foreign commercial banks through the London Club last fall and obtained a reduction of principal and interest rates, Russia now turns to the Paris…
Peace-Building and Conflict Resolution in Nagorno-Karabakh
Efforts to resolve ethnic conflict often run aground of the passionate public hostility that underlies them, as the recent Israeli-Palestinian violence illustrates. These popular passions are often the biggest obstacles…
Putin’s Boost-Phase Defense: The Offer That Wasn’t
When President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to work together with the United States on building a missile defense system, it was quite a surprise, to say the…
The Myths About Unilateral Nuclear Arms Reduction
The idea that unilateral reduction of nuclear arms is preferable to the traditional but slower process of negotiated formal arms control treaties that dominated US Soviet/Russian relations for three decades…
Russia’s Strategic Partnerships and Global Security
In the first post-Cold War decade the international system has experienced a period of relative peace among the great powers not seen since the Concert of Europe made its debut…
‘Kosovo Syndrome’ and the Great Nuclear Debate of 2000
In the summer of 2000, a long-simmering conflict within the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) burst into the open in a series of leaks to the media that culminated in…
The Politics of Labor Code Reform in Putin’s Russia
The recent announcement of a merger between the pro-Kremlin Unity party and Yuri Luzhkov's Fatherland movement (arguably the foremost anti-Kremlin force in the 1999 Duma campaign) was viewed by knowledgeable…
A Dangerous Balancing Act: Karimov, Putin, and the Taliban
Less than six months ago, several related events in Afghanistan suggested anything but an impending peace agreement among hostile neighbors in this war-torn region. Tensions among the relevant actors in…
Russia’s Belarus Dilemma
Russia’s Belarus dilemma can be formulated as two questions. Should Moscow continue the process of political integration with Belarus–which necessarily entails interaction with and support of the regime of President…
Islam in Russian Society and Politics: Survival and Expansion
In modern times, whether "healthy" or "sick" from an economic and political standpoint, Russia has managed to preoccupy outside observers with the changing condition of its psyche. What was known…