Russian Roulette

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Paul Schwartz, research scientist in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, and Richard Weitz, senior fellow and director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute. Paul and Richard are authors of the latest reports focusing on Sino-Russian cooperation, including Russia’s arms transfers to China and Sino-Russian military exercises. They discuss the strategic conundrum presented by the Sino-Russian military cooperation to the United States. They also examine the costs to Russia of this partnership, the purpose of such cooperation, and whether their relationship is based on alignment or has turned into an alliance.  Paul’s report on Russian military transfers to China can be found here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/changing-nature-and-implications-russian-military-transfers-china Richard’s report on Chinese-Russian military exercises: https://www.csis.org/analysis/assessing-chinese-russian-military-exercises-past-progress-and-future-trends  You can find Paul’s bio here: https://www.cna.org/experts/Schwartz_P and Richard’s bio here: https://www.hudson.org/experts/433-richard-weitz  Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Andrei Zagorski, Head of Department for Disarmament and Conflict Resolution Studies at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), and Elizabeth Buchanan, Lecturer of Strategic Studies with Deakin University for the Defense and Strategic Studies Course at the Australian War College. They discuss Russia’s plans for its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council and its broader economic and security policy in the Arctic. They also explore China’s Arctic strategy since the unveiling of its Arctic white paper and shifts in its approach since becoming a permanent observer to the Council in 2013. Lastly, they do some myth-busting regarding the strategic conundrum presented by Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic. If you are interested in learning more about Russia and NATO’s military activities in the region, check out our Arctic Military Activity tracker and read our primers on this important topic: The Ice Curtain: Russia’s Arctic Military Presence and America's Arctic Moment: Great Power Competition in the Arctic to 2050. But importantly, the Arctic region may be one of the few areas where the U.S and Russia can achieve some modest bilateral success. You can find Dr. Zagorski’s bio here and Dr. Buchanan’s bio here. You can also follow her on Twitter: @BuchananLiz Stay safe and healthy. 

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, who previously served as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’affaires in U.S. Embassy Baku, Azerbaijan, and Nicole B. Aandahl, the director of CSIS’s Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program, which is dedicated to elevating diverse voices and perspectives to lead to more ideas, more innovation, and more robust policy solutions. In this two-part episode, we begin the discussion with a focus on Moldova, including the impact of Covid-19, the reform agenda of and political challenges faced by President Maia Sandu’s administration, and the status of the “frozen” conflict in Transnistria. We then turn to a conversation about careers and diversity in the Russia and Eurasia studies field. In this second part of the conversation, Nicole Aandahl and Ambassador Hogan share their experiences in how they became interested in Russian studies, the importance of intentionality and inclusivity in the workplace, and the ways in which allies and mentors can help foster greater diversity among professionals in the field and the policymaking community. You can find Ambassador Hogan’s bio here: https://md.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ and follow the U.S. Embassy in Moldova on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USembMoldova You can find Nicole’s bio here: www.csis.org/people/nicole-breland-aandahl If you’re interested in learning more about CSIS’s Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program, check out the page here: www.csis.org/programs/diversity-and-leadership-international-affairs-project. Stay safe and healthy. 

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.They discuss the key takeaways from a U.S.-Japan-Russia Track 2 conference in which CSIS participated late last year, the strategic implications of a robust Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), and the challenges presented by closer Sino-Russian coordination to the U.S. and other Quad members, such as Japan and India. They also explore Russia’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific and opportunities for the U.S. to maintain a regional dialogue with Moscow. The co-written piece on the Quad mentioned by Heather Conley has been published. You can read it here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/return-quad-will-russia-and-china-form-their-own-bloc If you’re interested in hearing more from Michael Green, check out his expert page at CSIS.org here: www.csis.org/people/michael-j-green and listen to the podcast he hosts, the Asia Chessboard: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/asia-chessboardLastly, you can follow the Japan Chair on Twitter @JapanChair to receive updates on their latest events and analysis.Stay safe and healthy. 

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Georgy Safonov, visiting fellow with our program and director at the Center for Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow; and Nikos Tsafos, deputy director and senior fellow at the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program. They discuss what global carbon-neutrality pledges and policies mean for Russia’s energy transition, how the Russian energy industry may adapt to the changing European and Asian markets, and what energy alternatives Russia might focus on in the future. The CSIS Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program is engaged in a new line of research dedicated to understanding the impact of climate change on Russia. Georgy – along with visiting fellows Andrei Semenov and Angelina Davydova – are leading Russian voices on climate change, civil society, and center-region dynamics. You can find the fellows’ commentaries here: https://www.csis.org/programs/europe-russia-and-eurasia-program/russia-and-eurasia/russia-time-climate-change and watch their remarks on Russian climate policy and the effects of climate change on Russia’s strategic future here: https://www.csis.org/events/russia-time-climate-change You can find Georgy’s bio here: https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/512771. Nikos’s bio: https://www.csis.org/people/nikos-tsafos and Twitter handle: @ntsafos We thank Carnegie Corporation of New York for sponsoring this initiative. Stay safe and healthy. 

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Rebecca Hersman, Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues (or PONI), and Senior Adviser, International Security Program at CSIS, and Dmitry Stefanovich, Research Fellow at the Center for International Security, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) in Moscow.  They discuss the reasons why the Biden and Putin administrations are extending the last remaining U.S.-Russian arms control agreement, the New START treaty; the treaty’s importance; and the prospects for addressing new weapon systems and capabilities in a future agreement. The New START Treaty is also discussed as a pillar of a future, global and multilateral arms control and nuclear nonproliferation negotiating framework.  You can find Rebecca’s bio here: https://www.csis.org/people/rebecca-hersman and follow her on Twitter: @rebeccahersman  Dmitry’s bio: https://www.imemo.ru/en/about/persons/department/full?id=2228 and Twitter handle: @KomissarWhipla  Stay safe and healthy. 

In this last Russian Roulette episode of the year, Heather sits down with Ambassador John J. Sullivan, the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation and former Deputy Secretary of State. They discuss the highlights (the power of hockey diplomacy) and low points (the imprisonment of Paul Whelan) of his tenure as Ambassador, why there wasn’t a New START extension this year, as well as the impact of the changes to the Russian constitution, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and the foreign agent law on American interests. Finally, they also discuss the internal political dynamics in Russia in the lead up to next year’s Duma elections.  Ambassador Sullivan’s bio can be found here: https://ru.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/We gladly say farewell to 2020 and wish our listeners healthy and happy holidays. We have many exciting projects and conversations planned for 2021, so please keep an eye out for our announcements by subscribing to our mailing lists and following us on @CSISRussia and @CSISEurope.Thank you again for listening. Happy New Year! С наступающим 2021 годом!

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather and Cyrus Newlin, associate fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, sit down with Masha Lipman, Senior Associate at the Institute of European, Eurasian and Russian Studies at George Washington University, Ben Noble, Assistant Professor in Russian Politics at the University College in London and Senior Research Fellow at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, to discuss the outcome of the September 13 elections in Russia and what they portend for next year’s high stakes Duma election.This episode assesses the success of Alexey Navalny’s “Smart Voting” strategy and what his poisoning meant to opposition forces in Russia. Experts also discuss the “menu of manipulation” deployed by the Kremlin during the election for nearly 9,000 municipal or regional seats and 18 governors and describe different levels of political competition across Russia. Although Putin’s popularity is once again on the rise, the dramatic change of the Kremlin’s policy toward Navalny speaks to its concern about securing victory for the United Russia Party in the future. Finally, they discussed the attitudes of the youth in Russia towards politics and how they will shape Russia’s future.You can find Ben’s bio here: https://www.ben-noble.com/, and follow him on Twitter: @Ben_H_NobleCyrus’s: https://www.csis.org/people/cyrus-newlinWe encourage you to listen to Maria Lipman’s insightful conversations on the PONARS Eurasia podcast on Russia and Eurasia: https://blubrry.com/ponars/Stay safe and healthy.

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Hannah Alberts, analyst with U.S. European Command based in the United Kingdom, and Jade McGlynn, researcher and lecturer at the University of Oxford.They were participants in CSIS’s Understanding the Russian Military Today, a five-day, professional development program that explored the elements of Russian military power, including its composition and prospects, social and historical foundations, doctrine, and current operations. As a final exercise, participants were tasked with developing short, independent research papers that explored one of four major themes: Russian society, strategy, and history; elements of Russian military power; recent uses of Russian military power; and resources behind Russian military power.Hannah and Jade discussed their papers, both of which focus on how Russia instrumentalizes history and culture at home as well as abroad to serve a political or military purpose.You can find Hannah’s paper here: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/next-generation-fightersJade’s: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/constructing-memory-alliancesYou can also follow Jade on Twitter: @jademcglynn122You can find papers written by other participants here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/understanding-russian-military-todayStay safe and healthy.

In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, and David J. Kramer, Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy at the Florida International University to discuss the current situation in Belarus, the implications of the Lukashenko regime’s brutal response to peaceful protests, the prospect for future free and fair elections, the role of Russia in the crisis and the policy responses from the E.U and U.S.The Minister’s bio can be found here: https://www.urm.lt/default/en/officials/ministrasYou can follow him on Twitter: @LinkeviciusL David Kramer’s bio is here: https://sipa.fiu.edu/people/senior-fellows/profiles/davidj.kramer.htmlStay safe and healthy.