Carnegie Moscow Center
In 2013 Russia’s foreign policy has finally assumed a new quality, something which will probably last. This foreign policy makes Russia much more of an international player than ever before in the last quarter-century.
Understanding that the world has found itself in a period of interregnum, or “time without a trajectory,” is the key legacy of 2013.
Edward Snowden revealed a lot not only about the National Security Agency activities, but also about the state of the world.
U.S.-Russian relations remain charged, even poisonous, despite some productive cooperation. Transforming the relationship will require a concerted effort in 2014.
No agreement prohibits deploying of Iskander missiles along Russia western border, but it makes the military situation tense. It appears that Russia chose the path of escalation in relations with NATO.
The 20th anniversary of Russia’s Constitution and the Russian president’s State of the Nation Address delivered before the Federal Assembly are an opportune moment to sum up the state of Russia in 2013 and look ahead, in terms of its political system, economic, foreign, and security policies.
Russia and the West both consider terrorism one of their gravest security threats. To what extent are they cooperating in the fight against terrorism, and what are the prospects for strengthening this cooperation?
If Europe decides to venture into Ukraine, then it should seriously invest in Ukraine, economically, financially, and politically. As for Russia, it would be better off to continue its policy of non-interference that it is officially maintaining now.
If a political window of opportunity in U.S.-Russia relations opens in the future, then the key to resolving the current impasse in the negotiations will not be an agreement on BMD systems, but rather an agreement on modern conventional long-range offensive weapons.
While NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan could have dangerous implications for the region, some measure of instability might benefit Russia, which could use it as evidence of the importance of Russia’s military and political presence in the Central Asia.