RAND researchers often write commentaries for publications on a variety of topics. For a complete list of all commentaries by RAND staff, visit the RAND Newsroom. The page below lists commentaries topics related to Russia and Eurasia.
BRIC-à-Brac — Jun. 16, 2009
The leaders of the BRIC countries Brazil, Russia, India, and China hold their first stand-alone summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Tuesday, June 16, but the timing of this meeting is hardly coincidental, as discussed by Andrew Weiss for ForeignPolicy.com .
Commentary
Jeremy R. Azrael Was Convener of Leaders Who Shaped Post-Communist Russian Economy — Mar. 23, 2009
Jeremy R. Azrael, a leading expert on the Russian economy and a longtime political scientist at the RAND Corporation, died March 19 at his home in Sherman Oaks, California at the age of 73. He was best known for establishing and leading a semi-annual economic forum following the end of the Soviet Union to bring together Russian, European and American executives and political leaders for regular exchanges in Moscow and New York.
News Release
U.S.-NATO Immersion Course — Mar. 11, 2009
At a major conference in Munich last month, Vice President Joseph Biden underscored the U.S. determination to rebuild strong and productive relations with its European allies. At the conference, no issue mattered more than Afghanistan, as discussed by Robert E. Hunter in this commentary for The Washington Times.
Commentary
2008
Improving Early Childhood Education in Central and Eastern Europe Step by Step - Nov. 12, 2008
Summarizes the capacity, reach, and sustainability of the Step by Step (SbS) Program, child-centered teaching strategies and parent and community involvement in early childhood education systems in former Soviet bloc countries.
Research Brief
Full Document
Georgia Dispute Derails Bid to Stop Nuke Terrorism — Oct. 6, 2008
In the wake of Russia’s actions in Georgia, the U.S. has delayed talks with Moscow dealing with missile defense and reducing the size of strategic nuclear arsenals as discussed by Brian Micheal Jenkins for Providence Journal.
Commentary
A ‘Europe Whole and Free and at Peace’ — Sep. 9, 2008
Events in Georgia can and will have broader repercussions, most particularly on Russia's relations with Europe and especially the United States, far beyond anything at stake in the Caucasus as discussed by Robert E. Hunter for the Providence Journal .
Commentary
Ukraine: The Next Crisis? — Sep. 7, 2008
The Russian invasion of Georgia has sent shock waves throughout the West and the former Soviet space - especially Ukraine. Indeed, Ukraine could be the next potential crisis according to this commentary by F. Stephen Larrabee for www.project-syndicate.org.
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Georgia: Breakdown of Vision the West Had for a New Europe — Aug. 28, 2008
Since the Russian Federation sent tanks, troops, and planes slicing into Georgia, commentators have reached for a variety of historic parallels.... None of these supposed parallels catches the current situation.
Commentary
International Affairs Research Area
Kosovo and South Ossetia More Different Than Similar — Aug. 26, 2008
The Russian government has long highlighted the similarities between Kosovo and South Ossetia. When Kosovo declared independence, Russia argued that this would embolden South Ossetia, as discussed by Olga Oliker in this commentary for RFERL.org .
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Russian soccer diplomacy - May 30, 2008
Russia's prominence as a global soccer leader has exemplified the wider integration of Russian and European societies. The growing trade and foreign investment have started to blend the Russian economy with the rest of the world, as discussed by Lowell Schwartz in this commentary for Washington Times .
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2007
Rebuilding arms control - August 10, 2007
Russia’s recent announcement that it intends to formally suspend its compliance with the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has caused consternation in Western capitals as discussed in this commentary by David Mosher and F. Stephen Larrabee for United Press International. These agreements limit Russian and NATO conventional forces, heavy weaponry, and the deployment of intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe.
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Missile Defense: Avoiding a Crisis in Europe - Mar. 29, 2007
The United States should not abandon its plans to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic just because of a temper tantrum by Putin or the blustering of a few Russian generals. But before America proceeds with the deployment, it needs to spell out more clearly the benefits and risks of the move. Key questions are discussed in this commentary by F. Stephen Larrabee and David E. Mosher for the International Herald Tribune.
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Paradoxes: Liberal...Conservative...Go Figure - Mar. 26, 2007
One of the few matters that Democrats and Republicans apparently agree on these days is the use of “liberal” and “conservative” as shorthand for the political left and right, respectively. This is ironic since the economic policies associated with these groups are the mirror images of what they stand for in the rest of the world. The sharpest contrast is in China and Russia, which are both struggling to manage a transition from highly centralized planned economies to market–driven ones as discussed in this commentary by Charles Wolf, Jr. for the Milken Institute Review.
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Central Asia’s Great Game - Mar. 5, 2007
The recent election of the former deputy prime minister and health minister, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, as president of Turkmenistan could have a profound influence on events far from the remote Central Asian nation. With one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, Moscow, Beijing, Washington and many European capitals will be watching closely to see what policies Berdymukhammedov will pursue, as discussed by F. Stephen Larrabee in a commentary for the United Press International.
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Central Asia´s other ‘Turkmenbashis’ - Jan. 15, 2007
The sudden death in late December of Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan´s authoritarian president-for-life who declared himself "Turkmenbashi" (Leader of all Turkmens), jeopardizes stability in a country that is an increasingly important supplier of energy to Europe. Worse, given the absence of a clearly designated successor and the weakness of civil society and other political institutions, his death could have repercussions across Central Asia as discussed in this commentary by F. Stephen Larrabee in Project Syndicate.
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A mighty country's progress and regress — Jan. 4, 2007
Fifteen years after the Soviet Union collapsed and split apart, Russia still fits Winston Churchill's characterisation of Stalin's USSR nearly seven decades ago: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Throughout the presidencies of Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s and that of Vladimir Putin, Russia has opened its doors to international trade, investment, tourism, the media, and the internet. The question of the direction of the Russian economy is the subject of a commentary by Charles Wolf, Jr. in Project Syndicate
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2006
Ukraine's New Politics — Apr. 8, 2006
The recent parliamentary elections in Ukraine were a wake-up call, not just for President Viktor Yushchenko, but also for the European Union and the United States, write F. Stephen Larrabee and Taras Kuzio in a United Press International commentary.
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2005
By Taras Kuzio and Jennifer Moroney (United Press International)
By James Dobbins (NATO Review)
By Brian Michael Jenkins (United Press International)
By James Dobbins (International Herald Tribune)
By Olga Oliker (Baltimore Sun)
By Jennifer D.P. Moroney (The Hill)
By F. Stephen Larrabee (United Press International)
2004
By F. Stephen Larrabee (United Press International)
By Robert E. Hunter (Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)
By Robert E. Hunter (United Press International)
By Cheryl Benard (Wall Street Journal)
April 2, 2004: Kosovo: Delaying is the Least-Bad Option
By Robert Hunter (Financial Times)
By James Dobbins (Financial Times)
2002
By James Dobbins (New York Times)
By Robert E. Hunter and Sergey M. Rogov (Los Angeles Times)
2001
By Daniel Byman (International Herald Tribune)
By Robert E. Hunter (Los Angeles Times)
By Robert E. Hunter (Los Angeles Times)
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