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Monthly Archives: June 2019

Kommersant Firings and Russian Free Speech

By Marren Haneberg
June 03, 2019 04:58 PM
Eleven reporters from Kommersant quit on May 20 after two of their colleagues were fired for refusing to reveal their sources in a report about “a possible change of leadership in the upper chamber of parliament” (RFE/RL). These reporters made up the entire political staff at Kommersant, one of Russia’s most prominent newspapers. Another 180 staff signed a joint letter that denounced the newspaper’s shareholders for “destroying one of Russia’s best media outlets” to make “short-term political gains” and “that until further notice, Kommersant would not report on any Russian political news” (“HRW: Kommersant Shake-Up…”, Soric).
6 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: May 2019

Current State of Russian-US Nuclear Relations

By Sam Jacobson
May 18, 2019 04:37 PM
Recent developments in diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia have greatly impacted the nature of arms control in the two nuclear giants. Historically guided by various treaties, including the START, SALT, and INF agreements, nuclear tension has increased as the 2019 withdrawal from the INF Treaty by both Russia and the US has opened the door to expanded proliferation.
3 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: May 2019

What Russia's Nuclear Modernization Means for the Future of Nonproliferation

By Marren Haneberg
May 18, 2019 04:36 PM
Russia and the US are the world’s top two possessors of nuclear weapons, holding 92 percent of nuclear weapons globally (Ploughshares Fund). Russia is modernizing its nuclear arsenal and some of its modernizations, such as the SSC-8 ground-launched cruise missile system, led the US to plan an exit from the INF Treaty in August 2019.
7 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: May 2019

Russia's Nuclear Modernzation

By Marren Haneberg
May 13, 2019 04:26 PM
On April 11, Russia announced that the RS-28 Sarmat missile reached its final testing phase (TASS, “Putin: Russia’s ICBM…”). The missile, an upgrade of the SS-18, is set to start production in 2021. Nicknamed “Satan 2” by NATO, it “has practically no range restrictions” and “is untroubled by even the most advanced missile defense systems” according to Putin (O’Connor).
7 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: April 2019

Ramifications of A Tymoshenko Presidency

By Sam Jacobson
April 04, 2019 04:01 PM
As for the prospects of the presidential race, initial reports at the end of 2018 had Tymoshenko at the top of the pool of candidates. She began making inroads with many foreign leaders, stating via Facebook that “The presidential election is approaching, and it would be irrational for a newly elected president to use up their precious work hours on building bridges and establishing contacts when it can be done now.” However, with the emergence of Volodymyr Zelensky, an anti-establishment comedian, as a leading candidate, Tymoshenko will be forced to adjust her approach as the popular opposition candidate. The first round of elections take place on March 31st with a possible second round of elections following in April. Despite having maintained a strong lead in the polls for months, Tymoshenko has slipped into a tie with current President Poroshenko, with both trailing Zelensky by more than 5 points (Jacobsen).
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: April 2019

Russia's Disinformation Attack on Ukraine

By Marren Haneberg
April 02, 2019 03:50 PM
In what researchers at Oxford Internet Institute described as “the most globally advanced case of computational propaganda,” Ukraine was Europe’s most frequent target of disinformation campaigns in 2018 (Bohdanova). According to the EU vs Disinfo database, Ukraine had “461 references among a total of 1,000 disinformation cases reported in 2018” (“Ukraine Under Information Fire”). Some of these cases included Kremlin-based false reports that Ukrainian authorities planned to construct a 120 kilometer waterway that would isolate Crimea from Ukraine. Another story surfaced that US secret services and the Ukrainian government were working together to poison water in Donbas (Zoria).
8 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: March 2019

The Upcoming Ukrainian Elections

By Marren Haneberg
March 23, 2019 02:11 PM
On March 31, Ukrainians will head to the polls to elect their next president. Leading the candidates are incumbent Petro Poroshenko, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and newcomer to the political field, comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who are polling within 10 percentage points of each other.
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: March 2019

Ukraine's Poroshenko In a Bind

By Marren Haneberg
March 12, 2019 03:22 PM
Introduction
7 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: March 2019

Putin's alleged role in the US presidential elections

By Jeff Bates
March 08, 2019 02:49 PM
Putin proved a major influencer in the US presidential election in 2016. Russian influence on the election first appeared four years before the actual election, when two Russians, working for the Internet Research Agency, acquired knowledge about US social media to help provide information to the Russian propaganda machine (Shane, Scott; Mazzetti, Mark. 2018). Additionally, his Russian spy agency, the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) hacked the Democratic National Committee’s network to further reach his goal of getting Americans to vote for the candidate he wanted to see win.
4 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: March 2019

What is Russia Really Doing in Syria?

By Marren Haneberg
March 02, 2019 02:34 PM
Russia is a longtime ally of Syria, with relations dating back to the 1970s Soviet Union (Rahman-Jones). In 2015, Russia began supporting the Assad regime with weapons, air support, and ground troops. While Russian President Vladimir Putin claims the goal of Russia’s action in Syria is to fight terrorism, the US-led coalition claims Russian airstrikes have targeted “the non-IS rebel forces battling Assad’s government,” which the US supports militarily (Ahmado). By supporting opposing sides, the US and Russia have been fighting a proxy war in Syria.
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: March 2019

US-EU Relations and the Iranian Question

By Sam Jacobson
March 02, 2019 02:05 PM
Background of US-EU Relations Regarding Iran
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: February 2019

Russian and North Korean Relations

By Marren Haneberg
February 16, 2019 04:58 PM
Russia has played the role of mediator between North and South Korea and has a “relatively equal relationship” with both countries (Economy). Other countries involved in North Korea, such as the United States, China, and Japan, align more closely with one country or the other. In its relations with both countries, Russia demonstrates that it does not want the US involved in these security issues, encouraging “inter-Korean diplomacy” to end the dispute. Russia demanded that South Korea reject the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system and urged North Korea to “refrain from provocative actions,” declaring North Korea’s nuclear system a “threat to security in North-east Asia” (Economy).
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: February 2019

The Death of the ‘Lisbon to Vladivostok’ Project?

February 14, 2019 04:49 PM
By Guest Author, Emil Avdaliani, PhD - Professor of International Relations and History at Tbilisi State University
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Monthly Archives: February 2019

Russian-Venezuelan Relationships

By Marren Haneberg
February 07, 2019 02:44 PM
Economic and Political Ties Between Russia and Venezuela
5 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: January 2019

The Role of Ukraine in Testing the US and NATO

By Jeff Bates
January 30, 2019 02:20 PM
The conflict in Ukraine is very important to American, NATO, and Russian security. Russia has been testing its limits by annexing Crimea in 2014 and then by participating in the Ukrainian conflict. With sanctions affecting the Russian economy, Russia is using different tools to circumnavigate the sanctions by using China. With Russian forces in Syria fighting extremists, and with Russian involvement in Ukraine, Russia is able to use these conflicts as leverage against the United States.
7 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: January 2019

The Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict

By Marren Haneberg
January 21, 2019 12:26 PM
Nagorno-Karabakh in 2019
6 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: December 2018

US and Russia Exit the INF Treaty

By Marren Haneberg
December 08, 2018 06:57 PM
On December 4, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced plans to exit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 60 days, citing Russian noncompliance. If Russia does not return “to full and verifiable compliance” by the deadline, the United States will start a six month formal withdrawal process (Borger). The treaty went into force in 1987 and bans United States and Russia from developing “ground-launched cruise missiles” with ranges between 310 and 3,400 miles (Ward). The United States posits that “for years,” Russia “developed and deployed a ground launched cruise missile system, the SSC-8, also known as the 9M729” (Erlanger and Harris). NATO allies unanimously agreed with this stance.
4 Min Read
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Monthly Archives: December 2018

Russia and Ukraine Clash

By Marren Haneberg
December 03, 2018 06:23 PM
On November 25, Russia and Ukraine clashed in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Though both nations use the strait, Russia blocked three Ukrainian ships’ access by placing a large cargo vessel under a Russian-controlled bridge. Russian border control ships fired on the Ukrainian ships, injuring six sailors. Russia seized two Ukrainian ships, detained twenty-four sailors, and later jailed twelve of these sailors (“Russian Court Jails…”).
3 Min Read
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