Carnegie Moscow Center
Part of Russia's support for Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria stems from Putin's desire to use Russian foreign policy as an instrument for preserving his own power and trying to block the United States.
Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization remains a controversial issue in the country. It will not necessarily bring an end to trade disputes with the EU, but is likely to advance the establishment of a free trade zone and the signing of a new cooperation agreement.
A new bill introduced to change the way the Federation Council is formed ostensibly allows voters to express their will but actually shields those in power from accountability to the electorate.
A political transition, rather than regime change, may be the only chance for international cooperation on Syria.
By censoring the media, discrediting moderate opposition, and provoking popular discontent, Putin is only widening the fissures threatening the whole Russian political system.
The recent meeting between Putin and Obama has resulted in an increase in Putin’s self-confidence, his attempt to pressure the United States, and Obama’s aspiration not to aggravate relations with the Kremlin.
Recent bureaucratic appointments by Vladimir Putin and the installation of longtime Putin ally Igor Sechin as Rosneft’s chief executive offer the international community a glimpse of some of Putin’s chief economic and foreign policy objectives.
If United States and Russia fail to collaborate on urgent global issues, it could enhance the two countries’ mutual alienation, allow regional crises to run unabated, and even lead to a reconfiguration of the world’s strategic landscape.
In case of unobstructed civil war in Syria, the division between Russian and U.S. policies toward Syria will most probably deepen, and the choices of these two countries will have serious international implications, including stronger Russia-China cooperation to counter U.S. foreign policies.
For many, the draft statute for the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East signals the possible reform of the entire system of state administration, but all signs point to little real change.