David Remnick examines how effective the resistance to Putin's next presidency can be.

Gregory Feifer discuses how government corruption and radicalization of Islam in the Northern Caucasus are deepening divisions in society and fueling violence in the area.

This report illuminates the current status of China’s security and energy relations with Russia. The authors describe a relationship that is complex and at times fraught with distrust, and which, although potentially promising, is increasingly marred by uncertainties.

Stephen F. Cohen of The Nation discusses the political challenges of putting Obama's Russia 'reset' into practice.

In this annual report from Stratfor Global Intelligence, Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker previews the year ahead by focusing on China, Russia and the United States.

Writing in The Moscow Times, Mikhail Gorbachev laments 2005-06 changes in Russian electoral processes that reduced transparency and closed off Russian politics from societal feedback.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov writes of the warming relations between the NATO block and the Russian federation and highlights the importance of strengthening the Russia-NATO Council ahead of the November 20 Summit in Lisbon.

Tom Balmforth examines what the recent arrest of ten Russian agents charged with “deep cover” intelligence gathering in the United States could mean for U.S.-Russian relations.

A deal to extend the stay of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea in exchange for up to $40 billion worth of gas discounts stops Ukraine's drift toward NATO, but political-military integration with Russia is not in the interests of the nation.

As a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran is taking shape, the latest developments in Russia-Iran relations caught the world's attention.

Liz Fuller of Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty profiles veteran Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov, who has claimed responsibility for the March 29 suicide attacks on Moscow metro system in a video address.

This Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) publication presents data from the entire 2009 period, indicating that violence has escalated since 2008 in the North Caucasus, which includes Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, and Dagestan.

With or without a follow-on agreement to START, the number of warheads in the Russian nuclear arsenal continues to shrink. But that doesn’t mean Moscow has given up modernizing its strategic nuclear forces.

Although Russia made some progress in democratization during the 1990s, this was reversed after Vladimir Putin rose to power in 1999-2000. The sharp decline in oil and gas prices since mid-2008 put a halt to a Russian economic expansion, resulting in an officially reported 9.5% drop in gross domestic product in 2008. Russia's military has been in turmoil after years of severe force reductions and budget cuts, now numbering about 1.2 million, down from 4.3 million in 1986. Recent developments and the future of U.S.-Russia relations are outlined in this Congressional report.

John Vinocur of The New York Times examines news developments in the Arctic and explores Russia's goal of building a "comprehensive presence" in the area.

Spiegel Online interviews Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia's relationship with the European Union, natural resource management, human rights, and corruption.

Seth Roberts writes that Moscow's close economic ties with Tehran will make it hard to convince Putin to put pressure on Iran's nuclear program.

William Tobey argues that efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons has reached a roadblock as Russia continues to play a diplomatic "double game."

Peter Savodnik writes that Russia, after years of unsuccessfully trying to reclaim superpower status, is rethinking the way it engages with the United States.

Russia's position as a major energy supplier has great significance not only for its foreign policy but for its relationships with major energy consuming countries. The nature of Russia's future geopolitical role in world energy markets has become a major concern of international energy security with important implications for Europe, Japan and the United States. Given a range of economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the fate of Russian and Caspian natural gas exports remains a major risk factor in global energy supply. In this study, researchers examine several scenarios for Russian and Caspian oil and natural gas production, possible export routes, and the geopolitics involved.