Carnegie Moscow Center
Russia’s economic performance exceeded expectations in 2010, but inflation continues to worry policy makers. While they are attempting to curb rising prices, they are avoiding other necessary reforms for fear of inciting protests as elections approach.
The Kremlin’s reliance on ethnic clan structures to govern the North Caucasus has only maintained and intensified the deep inequalities plaguing the society in the region.
While the United States has expressed its desire to enhance strategic stability with China, there needs to be a better understanding of how China perceives America’s nuclear posture.
In spite of the massive popular protests that have swept away two Arab strongmen and shaken half a dozen monarchies and republics, the Arab world has yet to witness any fundamental change in ruling elites and even less in the nature of governance.
Mikhail Gorbachev is a rare leader who changed not just the history of a single nation, but the history of the world by dismantling the Soviet Communist system and ending the Cold War.
Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the biggest upheaval in Russia’s history—the fall of the Soviet Union—with surprisingly little bloodshed.
If the United States offers assistance for the development of political parties to Egypt, such aid should go to all legal parties, potentially including the Muslim Brotherhood, or Washington risks undermining U.S. credibility as a pro-democratic actor.
While the EU and the United States enacted strong repercussions for the violent crackdowns following Belarus' December presidential elections, long-term stability will require moving beyond the current political stalemate.
As ethnic tensions over immigration increase worldwide and the European models of multiculturalism and assimilation prove problematic, countries must find a comprehensive approach to coexistence that is acceptable both to immigrants and their new host countries.
To effectively counter terrorism, civil societies and NGOs in both Russia and India must work alongside their governments while working to avoid alienating the significant Muslim minorities in each country.
The 1861 reform sounded the death knell for Russian feudalism, and attempts by the ruling bureaucracy’s to restore some aspects of feudal government should have no place.
While the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861 marked the first stage in Russia’s democratic transformation, more remains to be done.
Moscow puts a high priority on its relations with India, which complicates Russia’s relationship with Pakistan.
While the obsession with global rebalancing stokes currency and protectionist tensions, it diverts attention from what is really needed—reforms at home.
The dispute over the South Kuril Islands complicates Russo-Japanese relations, but domestic political circumstances in both countries undermine the possibility of a negotiated diplomatic solution.
The efforts of Russian authorities to improve the state of interethnic relations and security in the country have not succeeded in defining the issues or analyzing the reasons behind the worsening situation.
Egypt has been fundamentally changed by the events since Jan. 25, and the challenge now is to translate the changes flowing from the popular uprising into the concrete procedures and safeguards necessary for a genuine transition to democracy.
Moscow’s reaction to the current upheaval in Egypt demonstrates the dramatically changed nature of Russian relations with, and presence in, the Middle East.
If Armenians and Azerbaijanis want to resolve their conflict peacefully, they need to start facing up to the acts of violence committed by both sides.
Mikhail Gorbachev deserves recognition for being a leader who changed the world with his willingness to make difficult and unpopular decisions.