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CRE in the News

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.

CRE News by year: 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2002 | 2001

2008

Georgia Dispute Derails Bid to Stop Nuke Terrorism — Oct. 6, 2008

Russian nuclear warhead, photo courtesy of Flickr

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.

CommentaryCommentary

A ‘Europe Whole and Free and at Peace’ — Sep. 9, 2008

Russian roadblock, Gori, Republic of Georgia, photo (c) Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 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

tank at Ukrainian Independence Day Parade, photo courtesy of Flickr

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

Russian President Putin and EU Commission President Barrolo, photo courtesy of Fllickr

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.

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Kosovo and South Ossetia More Different Than Similar — Aug. 26, 2008

Russian tank in Georgia, photo courtesy of Flickr

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

Russian Soccer Diplomacy

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

Rebuilding arms control

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

Missile Defense: Avoiding a Crisis in Europe

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

Paradoxes: Liberal...Conservative...Go Figure

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

Central Asia´s Great Game

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

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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

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December 13, 2005: The Challenge of Ukraine's European Integration

By Taras Kuzio and Jennifer Moroney (United Press International)

December 8, 2005: NATO's Role in Nation-building

By James Dobbins (NATO Review)

October 28, 2005: Terror in Historical Context

By Brian Michael Jenkins (United Press International)

September 30, 2005: NATO Peacekeepers Need a Partner

By James Dobbins (International Herald Tribune)

September 6, 2005: Why America Shouldn't Sever Uzbekistan Ties

By Olga Oliker (Baltimore Sun)

February 15, 2005: Spreading Democracy in Ukraine

By Jennifer D.P. Moroney (The Hill)

February 10, 2005: Western Strategy for Ukraine

By F. Stephen Larrabee (United Press International)

2004

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November 22, 2004: Outside View: Russia's Caucasus Gambit

By F. Stephen Larrabee (United Press International)

October 26, 2004: The Next President and NATO

By Robert E. Hunter (Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)

October 22, 2004: Outside View: Ukraine elections and the West

By Robert E. Hunter (United Press International)

August 12, 2004: Afghanistan Without Doctors

By Cheryl Benard (Wall Street Journal)

April 2, 2004: Kosovo: Delaying is the Least-Bad Option

By James Dobbins (International Herald Tribune) Read commentary at iht.com

March 19, 2004: The West Must Now Reassess its Gamble on Russia

By Robert Hunter (Financial Times)

January 6, 2004: Carrots Are as Vital as Sticks in the Balkans

By James Dobbins (Financial Times)

2002

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September 12, 2002: Afghanistan's Faltering Reconstruction

By James Dobbins (New York Times)

May 22, 2002: NATO, Russia Can Get Far with Small Steps

By Robert E. Hunter and Sergey M. Rogov (Los Angeles Times)

2001

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November 29 , 2001: Peacekeeping Forces Have a Long Afghan Haul Ahead of Them

By Daniel Byman (International Herald Tribune)

November 13, 2001: Don't Open the Door to Russia Yet

By Robert E. Hunter (Los Angeles Times)

August 1, 2001: Nothing's Free in Dealing with Putin

By Robert E. Hunter (Los Angeles Times)
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