Strategic Sderzhivanie

Understanding Contemporary Russian Approaches to "Deterrence"

Samuel Charap

ResearchPosted on rand.org Sep 16, 2020Published in: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Number 062 (September 2020)

There is a mismatch between the Western concept of deterrence and the Russian concept of sderzhivanie, and particularly strategic sderzhivanie. Strategic sderzhivanie encompasses the Western concepts of coercive statecraft, deterrence, compellence, and intra-war deterrence. It is a multi-domain, cross-cutting effort to shape the strategic environment to serve Russia's objectives using a range of both soft and hard power tools of statecraft in peacetime and during conflict. Grouping these disparate behaviors under a term that implies a defensive posture could create misperceptions in the Kremlin and enable destabilizing behavior.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: George C. Marshall Center - European Center for Security Studies
  • Publisher: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2020
  • Pages: 1
  • Document Number: EP-68279

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