Strategic Sderzhivanie

Understanding Contemporary Russian Approaches to "Deterrence"

Published in: George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Number 062 (September 2020)

Posted on RAND.org on September 16, 2020

by Samuel Charap

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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.

Access further information on this document at www.marshallcenter.org

This article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.

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