Foreign Policy Under Putin: Pro-Western Pragmatism Might Be a Greater Challenge to the West

As Russia prepares for early presidential elections, the foreign policy strategy of the most likely winner–acting President Vladimir Putin–is the subject of much speculation. Will he be pro- or anti-Western?…

The Unintended Consequences of Anti-Federalist Centralization in Russia

Since becoming the Acting President of the Russian Federation in late 1999, Vladimir Putin has spoken with utmost clarity about his concern for the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation…

The Reality and Myths of Nuclear Regionalism in Russia

In 1998, retired General Aleksandr Lebed, governor of Krasnoyarsk krai, declared that he would assume control of a Strategic Rocket Forces division deployed on the territory of his region unless…

Russian National Security Policy in 2000

Although signing a decree granting the new National Security Concept the status of law in January 2000 was one of acting president Vladimir V. Putin's first official decisions in the…

Russia’s Population Crisis: The Migration Dimension

Since the Soviet collapse, Russia has experienced a number of unfavorable demographic developments: • Falling fertility. The crude birth rate (births per 1000 population) declined from 12.1 in 1991 to…

Russian Policy and the Potential for Agreement on Revising the ABM Treaty

Little mystery surrounds Russian policy toward US proposals to revise the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in order to develop a national missile defense (NMD). Moscow views the ABM treaty as…

What is Driving Russia’s New Strategic Concept?

A good deal of confusion has arisen in the West about Russia's latest "Concept of National Security," which formally took effect on January 10 and was published in the weekly…

The State of Democratization in Russia in Light of the Elections

Now that Russia has entered the new millennium with a new leader and a new parliament, it is time to take stock of the democratization process in Russia. This memo…

Economic Assistance to Russia: Ineffectual, Politicized, and Corrupt?

While it is easy to critique reform programs after the fact–and therefore also easy to dismiss critics–understanding why economic assistance to Russia seems to have failed remains a vitally important…

Reflections on Putin’s Rise to Power

Suddenly, something in the mysterious and unpredictable realm of Russia looks not merely predictable but destined to happen. It is almost embarrassing to analysts, who are used to the bubbling…

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