Putin’s War in Chechnya: Who steers the course?
Each time a proposition is raised to resolve the Chechen conflict through negotiation, the Russian authorities respond with a double-riposte: We do not negotiate with terrorists, and there is nobody…
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Russia
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Putin: A New de Gaulle?
In the weeks leading up to his election as president of Russia in March 2000, journalists asked Vladimir Putin which political leaders he found “most interesting.” They took his first answer, Napoleon…
The Future of U.S.-Russian Nuclear Relations: A Rip Van Winkle Approach?
The Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT, or the Treaty of Moscow) signed by U.S. president George W. Bush and Russian president Vladimir Putin during their Moscow/St. Petersburg summit in May…
Free but Unfair? The Problems of Electoral Governance in Russia
Democracy, as one political scientist noted, is a political regime in which rulers lose their offices because of electoral defeat. This is not the case in Russia; elections have not become,…
Missile Defense Cooperation in the U.S. – European – Russian Triangle
The United States’s persistence in seeking to develop a comprehensive missile defense system for the protection of the “homeland, deployed forces, friends, and allies” brought the issue of international cooperation to the…
Why Did Russia Welcome a Republican Victory?
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed George W. Bush’s victory in the U.S. presidential race before the announcement of the official results. The contemporary Russian political elite has preferred conservative, more pragmatic Republicans…
Ingushetia as a Microcosm of Putin’s Reforms
In the wake of the massacre at the Beslan schoolhouse in North Ossetia in early September 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a major reform intended to fight terrorism. “What…
Quod Licet Iovi: Preemptive Use of Military Force in Russian Foreign Policy
In August-September 2002, Russia appeared to have a short romance with the U.S. policy of preemption, which was annoucned months before and made official in the National Security Strategy issued…
Who is in Charge?: Russia Handles Arms Control Negotiations
Russia has always considered arms control negotiations with the United States to be one of the most important elements of its foreign policy. Debates about strategic arms reductions and the…
The Bellwether Battle for Bashkortostan (Rage Against the Machine)
On December 7, 2003, Russian voters in some regions will choose not only a parliament, but also a regional leader. For many citizens, the latter contests will mean much more than the…