Vladimir Putin is facing the most serious challenge since the establishment of his “power vertical.” Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Russia, undeterred by plunging winter temperatures. Moscow is also facing challenges abroad—its recent veto of the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian regime has threatened its relations with much of the Arab world, and the U.S.-Russia "reset" appears stuck in neutral.
Dmitri Trenin and Ambassador James F. Collins discussed how Russia’s presidential elections will influence its policies.
Vladimir Putin’s election as Russia’s president may mark the end of the first phase of Russia’s awakening, but the awakening is not over. A restructuring of the Russian political field has just begun.
Life After the Russian Presidential Election. Vladimir Putin secured his return to power in Sunday’s Russian presidential election. Though that result came as no surprise, the issue of what will come next for Russia is still an open question.
Russia: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same. Putin's economic agenda offers only more of the same heavy-handed policies that have failed to modernize Russia and made the country more vulnerable to external shocks.
Restoration of a Congress-Duma track can send a clear message to Moscow that further improvements in the bilateral relations require progress on the issues of human rights and the rule of law.
Russia’s intransigence in the face of intense international pressure to halt the violence in Syria is confusing to much of the world, but there are real Russian financial and strategic interests at stake over Syria.
Russia Softens Stance on Syria. The Russian government may be changing its attitude towards Syria and penalizing the Assad regime for failing to heed Moscow's advice.
The Road to Syria Runs Through Moscow. The fact that the Red Cross has appealed to Putin for authorization to provide humanitarian relief to Syria proves that Russia has become an indispensable player in dealing with the Assad regime.
Ukraine can begin to expose its economy to more foreign competition and investment and truly live up to its potential only if it cracks down on corruption and encourages domestic competition.
Europe Closes the Door on Belarus. With the latest round of sanctions and the decision to recall ambassadors from Minsk, the European Union has effectively closed the door on Belarus.
Transnistria Vote Highlights Tension Between Values and Interests. The election of a young reformer to the presidency in the breakaway region of Transnistria is a triumph for democracy, but it does not signal an irrevocable turn towards the West.
A close reading of classic Russian literature offers an important window onto politics and societies in post-Soviet Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia.
Islam is increasingly becoming a factor in the politics of the wider Caucasus region. In the south, Azerbaijan is experiencing a growth of religion in politics. Turkey and Iran compete for Islamic influence on their neighbors. In the North Caucasus, Moscow faces an ongoing insurgency that has many Islamic elements. Two panels of Carnegie and outside experts analyzed the current trends and likely responses from governments in the region.
President, an Interview, and a Tragic Anniversary. Twenty years ago, the worst episode of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorny Karabakh occurred near the small town of Khojali, where more than 400 Azerbaijanis fleeing the town were killed by Armenian soldiers or paramilitary fighters.
More Than Georgia on Obama's Mind. The Obama administration faces conflicting interests in its relations with Georgia, especially as the United States tries to pursue the reset in its bilateral relationship with Russia.
Recent violence in Zhanaozen in December has forced Kazakhstan's authorities to rethink political, economic, and social policies. Only time will tell if the changes will have their desired effect, but it is the country's population that will make the ultimate judgment.
The "Stans" at 20. Twenty years after the Soviet collapse, leaders of the five Central Asian republics have built functioning states but they have yet to fully implement democratic reforms, decentralize and share power, and develop strong intraregional relations.
Kazakhstan's Soviet Legacy. Legacies of the Soviet era still pervade Kazakhstan, 20 years after independence, and leave most citizens unable to offer a detached judgment of what benefits Kazakhstan might have derived from seven decades of Soviet rule.
Two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian views of democracy, free markets, and political leadership have changed.
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.
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.
As armed clashes last weekend show, north Lebanon is becoming a growing support base for the Syrian revolution. Sunni mobilization in support of the uprising in Syria is mounting and the Lebanese government is losing its ability to maintain its policy of neutrality.
The U.S. pivot to the Asia-Pacific has created both tension and opportunity in its relations with China.
Relations between Ukraine and the EU have reached their lowest point yet. It could be time for the EU to come up with a new plan.
Putin has returned to the Kremlin, but he faces a significantly different Russia, because the country's situation has changed drastically. The previous Putin’s consensus between those in power and society has fallen apart.
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