Russia Direct

What Obama's foreign policy legacy means for Trump

Despite numerous claims within the American political and expert community that Barack Obama has been a weak president, this is not really the case. In eight years in office, Obama proved to be strong, decisive and, most importantly, consistent

Obama's legacy: Not that bad after all?

Ksenia Zubacheva

Debates: As U.S. President Barack Obama enjoys his last few weeks in office, Russian and American experts examine the goals of his last international trip and assess the results of his policy decisions over the last eight years

Why Russia withdraws from the International Criminal Court

Michael Newcity

The announcement that Russia was withdrawing its signature from the ICC in response to the publication of a prosecutor’s report condemning it for its actions in Ukraine was big news all over the world – but how significant is the decision?

Reviews

Is Central Asia going to become part of a new center of the world?

Book review: Western historians have ignored the Silk Roads region for too long. It’s time to create a new history of the world by recalibrating what we know and what we consider important

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Hot Topics: foreign policy

Anti-Americanism or Russophobia – which will win Central Asia's soul?

How does the dislike for Washington’s policies among the Muslim populations of Central Asia weigh up against the antipathy toward their former imperial master Russia?

Hot Topics: society

Russia's opposition leader Navalny declares presidential bid

Prominent opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has announced he plans to run for the presidency, with criminal charges against him suspended. However, Russia’s experts are divided in their assessments of his chances in the 2018 presidential elections

Hot Topics: society

Hawks vs. doves: Who will dominate in the Kremlin before the 2018 elections?

Carnegie Moscow Center’s Andrei Kolesnikov discusses the links between the 2016 parliamentary and 2018 presidential elections, focusing on Russia’s political future and the rivalry between the “hawks” and “doves” within the Kremlin

Hot Topics: society

Ulyukaev's arrest, Navalny's chance to run for president, and Russia's withdrawal from the ICC

Russian media roundup: Last week, the arrest of top Russian top economic minister Alexei Ulyukaev, the overturning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s conviction and the first phone call between Trump and Putin all made headlines

Why are Russians so optimistic about Trump?

Opinion

Donald Trump may be able to rebuild the U.S.-Russia relationship by focusing on shared national interests rather than shared national values

Can Belarus play a role in settling the Ukrainian crisis?

Debates

Debates: International experts discuss the possibility of fresh approaches to the conflict in Ukraine that involve the active participation of Belarus

Russia and Austria, looking beyond sanctions

Q&A

RD Interview: Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky discusses relations between Moscow and Vienna, as well as between Russia and the EU

What the Trump presidency means for Canada-Russia relations

Opinion

Canada is likely to follow the U.S. lead if Donald Trump intends to re-think America’s current antagonistic relationship with Russia

Russian California in names and places

Analysis

A number of locations in the area north of San Francisco are tied to Russia by virtue of their names, although many of their origins are unclear and actually may not be connected to Russia at all

Discovering Russian culture in the city by the bay

Analysis

San Francisco’s Russian heritage may not be the first thing to come to mind when people speak of the city by the bay, but the area’s Russian roots run deep and include several Orthodox churches, a Museum of Russian Culture and a museum of veterans of World War I

Inside the anti-corruption campaign against Russia's liberals

Opinion

The more the Russian opposition accuses the government of corruption, the more the Kremlin will search for anti-corruption targets within the liberal elites

Russia's relations with the West, through a neorealist filter

Q&A

RD Interview: University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer talks about the U.S., Russia and China and how relations among them matter for the international order

What to expect from Austria's OSCE chairmanship

Analysis

With less than a month to go until Austria takes over the OSCE chairmanship from Germany, top officials gathered in Austria to discuss the future of European security

Donald Trump and the cyclical nature of US-Russian relations

Opinion

If history continues to repeat itself, a possible honeymoon period in U.S.-Russia relations at the start of Donald Trump’s presidency could turn into a new crisis by the end of it

The Russian economy: Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

Analysis

Despite a lack of structural reforms that will finally wean the Russian economy off its dependence on oil and gas, there are some encouraging signs for economic growth in 2017

INTERPOL, Russia and the new fight against international terrorism

Analysis

Now that INTERPOL has elected a Russian police major general as its new vice-president, there are growing hopes that the Russian experience can be used to help crack down on international terrorism

Russia's top economic minister faces criminal charges for bribe solicitation

Analysis

Russia’s high-profile Economic Development Minister, Alexei Ulyukaev, has been arrested on corruption charges. Who or what is behind this new anti-corruption probe?

How Russia could revive its ties with Moldova

Opinion

Following the victory of Igor Dodon in Moldovan elections, Moscow has a real chance to boost its relations with the former Soviet republic. However this task is not so easy

Trump's victory, counter-terrorism, and the Ildar Dadin case

Russian Media

Russian media roundup: Republican Donald Trump becomes the 45th U.S. president, the Russian Federal Security Service prevents terror attacks in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and Mikheil Saakashvili leaves his post as Odessa region governor

Russia and Austria, looking ahead to a better business environment in 2017

Analysis

The Russian minister for economic development, Alexei Ulyukaev, visited Austria where he met with businessmen and discussed the prospects for Russia-Austria and Russia-EU relations in the context of Trump’s victory in the U.S. election

How Russian society reacts to Trump's victory?

Russian Media

Russians closely followed the U.S. presidential elections and everybody had an opinion to express following the surprising victory for Republican candidate Donald Trump

A Trump presidency will have implications for NATO

Opinion

Donald Trump could reassess America’s foreign policy priorities, and that would almost certainly lead to a new strategic role for NATO – including a greater emphasis on fighting terrorism abroad

Why Trump: A quick primer for the world's elite

Opinion

Donald Trump’s election victory was unprecedented, but it should not have been surprising. His popularity was the result of socio-economic trends that had been gathering force over the past 20 years

The key concerns of Russian foreign policy heading into 2017

Q&A

RD Interview: Chatham House expert James Sherr explains how a variety of global crises, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, are impacting Russian foreign policy

What Obama's foreign policy legacy means for Trump

Obama's legacy: Not that bad after all?

Why Russia withdraws from the International Criminal Court

Europe

Q&A

Opinion

Russian Media

Reviews

Is Central Asia going to become part of a new center of the world?

Anti-Americanism or Russophobia – which will win Central Asia's soul?

Russia's opposition leader Navalny declares presidential bid

Hawks vs. doves: Who will dominate in the Kremlin before the 2018 elections?

Ulyukaev's arrest, Navalny's chance to run for president, and Russia's withdrawal from the ICC

Why are Russians so optimistic about Trump?

Can Belarus play a role in settling the Ukrainian crisis?

Russia and Austria, looking beyond sanctions

What the Trump presidency means for Canada-Russia relations

Russian California in names and places

Discovering Russian culture in the city by the bay

Inside the anti-corruption campaign against Russia's liberals

Russia's relations with the West, through a neorealist filter

What to expect from Austria's OSCE chairmanship

Donald Trump and the cyclical nature of US-Russian relations

The Russian economy: Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

INTERPOL, Russia and the new fight against international terrorism

Russia's top economic minister faces criminal charges for bribe solicitation

How Russia could revive its ties with Moldova

Trump's victory, counter-terrorism, and the Ildar Dadin case

Russia and Austria, looking ahead to a better business environment in 2017

How Russian society reacts to Trump's victory?

A Trump presidency will have implications for NATO

Why Trump: A quick primer for the world's elite

The key concerns of Russian foreign policy heading into 2017

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