Russian Roulette : Recent Episodes
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Russian Roulette takes a look at the politics, economics, and culture of Russia and Eurasia through both interviews and lively discussion with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and around the world. Hosted by CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program experts Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff.
In this final episode of the year, Heather sits down Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist, author, translator and activist, and staff writer for The New Yorker. They discuss Masha’s piece “Can Russia’s Press Ever Be Free?” as well as the current state and future of journalism, society, and freedom of expression in Russia. Masha’s latest article and other pieces can be found here: www.newyorker.com/contributors/masha-gessen If you are interested in all things NATO, listen to Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program’s new podcast “NATO’s Road to Madrid” here: www.csis.org/podcasts/natos-road-madrid Although we gladly bid farewell to all the challenges that 2021 presented, we sadly note that this is the final episode of Russian Roulette featuring host Heather Conley. Beginning in January 2022, Heather will be the new president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Don’t worry - we will have guest hosts pick up the mantle in 2022 for another great Russian Roulette series. Until then, we send heartfelt thanks to our podcast guests and listeners for making this such an exciting year of interesting and important conversations. With best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a healthy new year! С наступающим 2022 годом!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with David Owen, former UK Foreign Secretary from 1977 until 1979 and author of a new book: Riddle, Mystery, and Enigma: Two Hundred Years of British-Russian Relations. They discuss the state of UK-Russia relations starting with a historical overview of the past two hundred years and ending with the future of the difficult relations of today. Subscribe to Russian Roulette, so you do not miss an episode: www.csis.org/subscribe Finally, check out the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program’s new podcast “NATO’s Road to Madrid,” which explores how the alliance is approaching the update of its Strategic Concept, the innerworkings of the organization, and how challenges from the inside complicate its ability to respond effectively: www.csis.org/podcasts/natos-road-madrid Thanks for listening!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather provides a brief overview of a new CSIS report, “Russia’s Climate Gamble: The Pursuit and Contradictions of its Arctic Ambitions,” which examines the implications of climate impacts for Russia’s economy, internal political dynamics, and security posture. Heather then sits down with Felix H. Tschudi, the Chairman and owner of the Tschudi Group, a Norwegian-based global shipping and logistics company with a long history in the Arctic. They discuss Russia’s ambitious plans for transforming the Northern Sea Route (NSR) into a major global shipping corridor, the impact of climate change and environmental activism on the NSR’s viability, and the prospects of China’s Transpolar route. Check out the Center for High North Logistics to track developments in the High North and along the Northern Sea Route as well as the Marines Exchange of Alaska to track shipping traffic and emerging maritime issues in the Bering Sea as well as Alaska. For further information on the Bering Strait as a maritime passage, check out this CSIS report “Maritime Futures: The Arctic and the Bering Strait Region.” To learn more about how climate change will reshape Russian politics, economics, and society, explore the recent work by Russian voices on climate change, civil society, and center-region dynamics here. To learn more about military and security issues related to the Arctic, follow CSIS’s Arctic Military Activity tracker for latest Russia and NATO’s military activities in the region. Finally, subscribe to Russian Roulette, so you do not miss an episode.
Thanks for listening!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Mykola Bielieskov, Ph.D. student at the National Institute for Strategic Studies (NISS), Ukraine, and Natia Seskuria, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
We discuss the effectiveness and shortcomings of Russia’s hard and soft power influence tools in Georgia and Ukraine, including its “borderization” policy in Georgia, its “passportization” in Donbas, and the role of the Orthodox Church. Finally, we finish the conversation with recommendations regarding how the West can resist the challenges presented by Russia’s occupation of Georgia and Ukraine’s territories.
Both Natia and Mykola participated in CSIS “Understanding the Russian Military Today” executive education program in June and this episode is inspired by their papers written as part of their independent research. In his paper, Mykola dissects Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine’s borders this spring, while in her paper, Natia focuses on Russia’s “hybrid aggression” and influence tools in Georgia. Definitely check out their papers!
Read Natia’s bio here and follow her on Twitter @nseskuria
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This program was funded by the Russia Strategic Initiative U.S. European Command, Stuttgart Germany. Opinions, arguments, viewpoints, and conclusions expressed in this work do not represent those of RSI, U.S. EUCOM, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Paul Schwartz, research scientist in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, and Richard Weitz, senior fellow and director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute. Paul and Richard are authors of the latest reports focusing on Sino-Russian cooperation, including Russia’s arms transfers to China and Sino-Russian military exercises. They discuss the strategic conundrum presented by the Sino-Russian military cooperation to the United States. They also examine the costs to Russia of this partnership, the purpose of such cooperation, and whether their relationship is based on alignment or has turned into an alliance. Paul’s report on Russian military transfers to China can be found here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/changing-nature-and-implications-russian-military-transfers-china Richard’s report on Chinese-Russian military exercises: https://www.csis.org/analysis/assessing-chinese-russian-military-exercises-past-progress-and-future-trends You can find Paul’s bio here: https://www.cna.org/experts/Schwartz_P and Richard’s bio here: https://www.hudson.org/experts/433-richard-weitz Thanks for listening!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Andrei Zagorski, Head of Department for Disarmament and Conflict Resolution Studies at the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), and Elizabeth Buchanan, Lecturer of Strategic Studies with Deakin University for the Defense and Strategic Studies Course at the Australian War College. They discuss Russia’s plans for its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council and its broader economic and security policy in the Arctic. They also explore China’s Arctic strategy since the unveiling of its Arctic white paper and shifts in its approach since becoming a permanent observer to the Council in 2013. Lastly, they do some myth-busting regarding the strategic conundrum presented by Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic. If you are interested in learning more about Russia and NATO’s military activities in the region, check out our Arctic Military Activity tracker and read our primers on this important topic: The Ice Curtain: Russia’s Arctic Military Presence and America's Arctic Moment: Great Power Competition in the Arctic to 2050. But importantly, the Arctic region may be one of the few areas where the U.S and Russia can achieve some modest bilateral success. You can find Dr. Zagorski’s bio here and Dr. Buchanan’s bio here. You can also follow her on Twitter: @BuchananLiz Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, who previously served as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’affaires in U.S. Embassy Baku, Azerbaijan, and Nicole B. Aandahl, the director of CSIS’s Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program, which is dedicated to elevating diverse voices and perspectives to lead to more ideas, more innovation, and more robust policy solutions. In this two-part episode, we begin the discussion with a focus on Moldova, including the impact of Covid-19, the reform agenda of and political challenges faced by President Maia Sandu’s administration, and the status of the “frozen” conflict in Transnistria. We then turn to a conversation about careers and diversity in the Russia and Eurasia studies field. In this second part of the conversation, Nicole Aandahl and Ambassador Hogan share their experiences in how they became interested in Russian studies, the importance of intentionality and inclusivity in the workplace, and the ways in which allies and mentors can help foster greater diversity among professionals in the field and the policymaking community. You can find Ambassador Hogan’s bio here: https://md.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ and follow the U.S. Embassy in Moldova on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USembMoldova You can find Nicole’s bio here: www.csis.org/people/nicole-breland-aandahl If you’re interested in learning more about CSIS’s Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program, check out the page here: www.csis.org/programs/diversity-and-leadership-international-affairs-project. Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
They discuss the key takeaways from a U.S.-Japan-Russia Track 2 conference in which CSIS participated late last year, the strategic implications of a robust Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), and the challenges presented by closer Sino-Russian coordination to the U.S. and other Quad members, such as Japan and India. They also explore Russia’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific and opportunities for the U.S. to maintain a regional dialogue with Moscow.
The co-written piece on the Quad mentioned by Heather Conley has been published. You can read it here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/return-quad-will-russia-and-china-form-their-own-bloc
If you’re interested in hearing more from Michael Green, check out his expert page at CSIS.org here: www.csis.org/people/michael-j-green and listen to the podcast he hosts, the Asia Chessboard: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/asia-chessboard
Lastly, you can follow the Japan Chair on Twitter @JapanChair to receive updates on their latest events and analysis.
Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Georgy Safonov, visiting fellow with our program and director at the Center for Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow; and Nikos Tsafos, deputy director and senior fellow at the CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program. They discuss what global carbon-neutrality pledges and policies mean for Russia’s energy transition, how the Russian energy industry may adapt to the changing European and Asian markets, and what energy alternatives Russia might focus on in the future. The CSIS Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program is engaged in a new line of research dedicated to understanding the impact of climate change on Russia. Georgy – along with visiting fellows Andrei Semenov and Angelina Davydova – are leading Russian voices on climate change, civil society, and center-region dynamics. You can find the fellows’ commentaries here: https://www.csis.org/programs/europe-russia-and-eurasia-program/russia-and-eurasia/russia-time-climate-change and watch their remarks on Russian climate policy and the effects of climate change on Russia’s strategic future here: https://www.csis.org/events/russia-time-climate-change You can find Georgy’s bio here: https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/512771. Nikos’s bio: https://www.csis.org/people/nikos-tsafos and Twitter handle: @ntsafos We thank Carnegie Corporation of New York for sponsoring this initiative. Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Rebecca Hersman, Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues (or PONI), and Senior Adviser, International Security Program at CSIS, and Dmitry Stefanovich, Research Fellow at the Center for International Security, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) in Moscow. They discuss the reasons why the Biden and Putin administrations are extending the last remaining U.S.-Russian arms control agreement, the New START treaty; the treaty’s importance; and the prospects for addressing new weapon systems and capabilities in a future agreement. The New START Treaty is also discussed as a pillar of a future, global and multilateral arms control and nuclear nonproliferation negotiating framework. You can find Rebecca’s bio here: https://www.csis.org/people/rebecca-hersman and follow her on Twitter: @rebeccahersman Dmitry’s bio: https://www.imemo.ru/en/about/persons/department/full?id=2228 and Twitter handle: @KomissarWhipla Stay safe and healthy.
In this last Russian Roulette episode of the year, Heather sits down with Ambassador John J. Sullivan, the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation and former Deputy Secretary of State. They discuss the highlights (the power of hockey diplomacy) and low points (the imprisonment of Paul Whelan) of his tenure as Ambassador, why there wasn’t a New START extension this year, as well as the impact of the changes to the Russian constitution, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and the foreign agent law on American interests. Finally, they also discuss the internal political dynamics in Russia in the lead up to next year’s Duma elections.
Ambassador Sullivan’s bio can be found here: https://ru.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/
We gladly say farewell to 2020 and wish our listeners healthy and happy holidays. We have many exciting projects and conversations planned for 2021, so please keep an eye out for our announcements by subscribing to our mailing lists and following us on @CSISRussia and @CSISEurope.
Thank you again for listening. Happy New Year! С наступающим 2021 годом!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather and Cyrus Newlin, associate fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, sit down with Masha Lipman, Senior Associate at the Institute of European, Eurasian and Russian Studies at George Washington University, Ben Noble, Assistant Professor in Russian Politics at the University College in London and Senior Research Fellow at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, to discuss the outcome of the September 13 elections in Russia and what they portend for next year’s high stakes Duma election.
This episode assesses the success of Alexey Navalny’s “Smart Voting” strategy and what his poisoning meant to opposition forces in Russia. Experts also discuss the “menu of manipulation” deployed by the Kremlin during the election for nearly 9,000 municipal or regional seats and 18 governors and describe different levels of political competition across Russia. Although Putin’s popularity is once again on the rise, the dramatic change of the Kremlin’s policy toward Navalny speaks to its concern about securing victory for the United Russia Party in the future. Finally, they discussed the attitudes of the youth in Russia towards politics and how they will shape Russia’s future.
You can find Ben’s bio here: https://www.ben-noble.com/, and follow him on Twitter: @Ben_H_Noble Cyrus’s: https://www.csis.org/people/cyrus-newlin
We encourage you to listen to Maria Lipman’s insightful conversations on the PONARS Eurasia podcast on Russia and Eurasia: https://blubrry.com/ponars/
Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Hannah Alberts, analyst with U.S. European Command based in the United Kingdom, and Jade McGlynn, researcher and lecturer at the University of Oxford.
They were participants in CSIS’s Understanding the Russian Military Today, a five-day, professional development program that explored the elements of Russian military power, including its composition and prospects, social and historical foundations, doctrine, and current operations. As a final exercise, participants were tasked with developing short, independent research papers that explored one of four major themes: Russian society, strategy, and history; elements of Russian military power; recent uses of Russian military power; and resources behind Russian military power.
Hannah and Jade discussed their papers, both of which focus on how Russia instrumentalizes history and culture at home as well as abroad to serve a political or military purpose.
You can find Hannah’s paper here: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/next-generation-fighters
Jade’s: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/constructing-memory-alliances You can also follow Jade on Twitter: @jademcglynn122
You can find papers written by other participants here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/understanding-russian-military-today
Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, and David J. Kramer, Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy at the Florida International University to discuss the current situation in Belarus, the implications of the Lukashenko regime’s brutal response to peaceful protests, the prospect for future free and fair elections, the role of Russia in the crisis and the policy responses from the E.U and U.S.
The Minister’s bio can be found here: https://www.urm.lt/default/en/officials/ministras
You can follow him on Twitter: @LinkeviciusL David Kramer’s bio is here: https://sipa.fiu.edu/people/senior-fellows/profiles/davidj.kramer.html
Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather Conley sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Mankoff and Tabea Wilke to discuss elements of Jeff’s report “With Friends Like These: Assessing Russian Influence in Germany.” This report is the Germany case study of an ambitious year-long CSIS initiative to analyze Russian influence activities in the United Kingdom and Germany and Chinese influence activities in Japan and Australia. Jeff’s biography can be found here: https://inss.ndu.edu/Media/Biographies/Article-View/Article/2142394/mankoff-jeffrey/ Tabea’s here: http://tabeawilke.de/about/ The report can be read on the CSIS website: https://www.csis.org/analysis/friends-these-assessing-russian-influence-germany As for the other reports on Russian influence in the United Kingdom and Chinese influence in Japan and Australia, you can find them on the project webpage: https://www.csis.org/programs/europe-program/countering-russian-chinese-influence-activities You can find Dr. Amy Searight discussing Chinese influence in Australia on the Asia Chessboard podcast here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/asia-chessboard/hidden-moves-countering-russian-and-chinese-influence-activities-chessboard Stay safe and healthy.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Andreas Turunen and Joe Cheravitch to discuss the Russian military's electronic and psychological operations, and the roles they play in Russian doctrine and strategy. Andreas and Joe contributed chapters to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program's report "Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military." Andreas’s biography can be found here: http://www.conflictstudies.org.uk/current-work.php The report can be read on the CSIS website: https://www.csis.org/analysis/improvisation-and-adaptability-russian-military You can find Part 1 of the conversation with the other authors here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/improvisation-and-adaptability-russian-military-part-i-russian-roulette Stay safe and healthy!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Stephen Blank, Michael Petersen, and Samuel Bendett to discuss the Russian military's developing operational concepts and capabilities, and what they mean for the United States and its Allies. Steve, Mike, and Sam contributed chapters to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program's recent report "Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military."
Their biographies can be found here: Stephen’s: https://www.fpri.org/contributor/stephen-blank/, Michael’s: https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Directory/Michael-Petersen, and Sam’s: https://www.cna.org/experts/Bendett_S
The report can be found here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/improvisation-and-adaptability-russian-military
You can follow Sam and Michael on Twitter: @SamBendett, @Mi_Petersen38
We thank the Russia Strategic Initiative, U.S. European Command, for their interest and support for the project.
Stay safe and prosper.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Judy Twigg, Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University and a Senior Associate with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program. They discuss the COVID19 outbreak in Russia and how well the government and the public health system are coping with this challenge. Judy also mentions the situation in Ukraine, so keep listening for that, too. You can find Judy Twigg’s bio and selected work here: https://politicalscience.vcu.edu/people/faculty/twigg.html, and follow her on Twitter: @jtwigg9
Her previous appearance on Russian Roulette discussing a co-authored report “Putin and Global Health: Friend or Foe?" can be found on our website: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/putin-and-global-health-friend-or-foe-russian-roulette-episode-91.
Judy’s recent publications on COVID19 and Russia can be accessed: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/russias-not-ready-coronavirus and https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/what-lies-behind-russias-coronavirus-containment-effort. Stay safe and prosper.
In this 100 episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Torokul Doorov, the Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kazakh Service, and Aigerim Toleukhanova, digital editor with RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service. They discuss the coronavirus outbreak in Central Asia and what its implications are for regional politics, economics, society, and more. You can find Torokul and Aigerim’s bios here: https://pressroom.rferl.org/experts Both are also avid Twitter users, so consider following them @Torokul and @aygeryma We thank all our listeners for their support—we couldn’t have reached episode #100 without you. Stay safe and prosper.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Andrey Baklitskiy, a recent CSIS Visiting Fellow and a consultant at the PIR Center in Moscow. They discuss Andrey’s forthcoming CSIS report on the future of U.S.-Russia arms control, whether strategic arms control is needed in today’s context, and Russian experts’ and officials’ views of arms control. Andrey also discusses his wager on whether New START is extended or not. You can find Andrey's report on the CSIS website: https://www.csis.org/analysis/prospects-us-russian-arms-control
The video of our recent public event with Andrey can be found here: https://www.csis.org/events/prospects-us-russia-arms-control Andrey’s bio can be found here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/staff-and-affiliates/fellows Andrey is also an avid Twitter user, so consider following him @baklitskiy. He also hosts his own podcast (in Russian), called Принуждение к миру, which you can access on Apple Podcasts at: https://apple.co/2xQDh47 We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you. Stay safe and prosper.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with William Pomeranz, Deputy Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and author of Law and the Russian State: Russia's Legal Evolution from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin (Bloomsbury, 2018). They discuss the proposed Russian constitutional reform, its key provisions, and what their impact is likely to be. Will’s previous appearance on Russian Roulette, when he discussed his book, can be found here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/law-and-russian-state-%E2%80%93-russian-roulette-episode-78 Will’s book is available for purchase here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/law-and-the-russian-state-9781474224246/, or for order from your local bookstore. You can find his bio as well as his other works here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/william-e-pomeranz We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Joshua Yaffa, correspondent for The New Yorker in Moscow. They focus on his recently published book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia. They discuss how entrepreneurs, artists, or historians balance the demands of the state and their ambitions and whether “double think” that was present in the Soviet Union is present in Russia today. You can find Joshua’s bio and purchase the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555637/between-two-fires-by-joshua-yaffa/ If you would like to follow Joshua on Twitter: @yaffaesque We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Rachel Salzman, who was recently a Visiting Scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. They discuss her recent book Russia, BRICS, and the Disruption of Global Order, as well as role BRICS plays in U.S. policy. You can find Rachel’s bio here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/rachel-s-salzman As Jeff said, her book can be a great gift to the people in your life who like reading about Russia, global institutions, and global order. You can purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Russia-BRICS-Disruption-Global-Order/dp/1626166617 The recent event she did with us at CSIS can be found here: https://www.csis.org/events/book-discussion-putin-america-and-brics Her twitter handle is: @RSSalzman We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you. We wish you a Happy New Year!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Alexey Khlebnikov, Middle East/North Africa expert at the Russian International Affairs Council and private consultant at various think tanks around the world. They discuss Moscow’s successes and failures in Syria as well as the changes in the region that have taken place since Russia’s military intervention in Syria. Khlebnikov also discusses how the U.S. and Russia could cooperate in the Middle East.
You can find Alexey’s bio here: https://russiancouncil.ru/en/aleksey-khlebnikov/
Follow him on twitter here: @AleksKhlebnikov
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, investigative journalists based in Moscow and co-founders of the website agentura.ru. They discuss their recently released book The Compatriots: The Brutal and Chaotic History of Russia's Exiles, Émigrés, and Agents Abroad. You will get to hear the history of Russian intelligence as well as its relationship with exiles and emigres abroad. Andrei and Irina also comment on how they do their research and how the Skripal poisoning in the U.K. affected their sources.
Their website: http://www.agentura.ru/english/ You can purchase their recently released book as well as others here: https://amzn.to/2qw1lWF
Follow them on twitter: @irinaborogan and @AndreiSoldatov
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Anthony Bowyer, Programmatic and Research Advisor, Europe and Eurasia at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). They discuss President Mirziyoyev’s reform program in Uzbekistan and how the country has changed, including its parties and elections, and what has remained constant.
You can find Anthony Bowyer’s bio here: https://www.ifes.org/people/anthony-bowyer. You can read his paper “Political Reform in Mirziyoyev's Uzbekistan: Elections, Political Parties and Civil Society” here: https://www.silkroadstudies.org/publications/silkroad-papers-and-monographs/item/13284-political-reform-in-mirziyoyevs-uzbekistan-elections-political-parties-and-civil-society.html
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this special joint episode of Russian Roulette and Take as Directed, Jeff is joined by J. Stephen Morrison, the Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, and Judy Twigg, Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University and a Senior Associate with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program. They discuss Stephen and Judy’s recent report “Putin and Global Health: Friend or Foe?” which outlines their recommendations for expanding U.S. engagement to promote health security and counter Russian influence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The report is available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/putin-and-global-health-friend-or-foe You can find Stephen Morrison’s bio here: https://www.csis.org/people/j-stephen-morrison and his twitter is @MorrisonCSIS Judith Twigg’s bio is at: https://politicalscience.vcu.edu/people/faculty/twigg.html, and her twitter handle is @jtwigg9 Consider subscribing to Global Health Center’s podcast Take as Directed at: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/take-directed. You can also follow the Global Health Center on Twitter: @CSISHealth We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Hilary Appel, the Podlich Family Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College in California. They discuss her memo “Are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Partners? Interpreting The Russia-China Rapprochement,” as well as the reinterpretation of Chinese investment as a ‘debt trap.’
You can find Hilary Appel’s bio here: https://www.cmc.edu/academic/faculty/profile/hilary-appel Her memo is here: http://www.ponarseurasia.org/memo/are-xi-jinping-and-vladimir-putin-partners-interpreting-russia-china-rapprochement The “China’s Rise in Eurasia” event where Dr. Appel discusses her memo is on our website: https://www.csis.org/events/chinas-rise-eurasia
Keep an eye out on the PONARS website to read Dr. Elizabeth Wishnick’s memo on the two leaders as well here: http://www.ponarseurasia.org/
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Rachel Ellehuus, deputy director and senior fellow with the Europe Program at CSIS. They discuss the European reaction to the lapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the effect of the demise on NATO’s strategy, and the prospects for the new START agreement.
You can find Rachel Ellehuus’s bio here: https://www.csis.org/people/rachel-ellehuus Her recent piece “A NATO Strategy for a Post-INF World” is here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/nato-strategy-post-inf-world
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with George Beebe, the Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for the National Interest, and former head of Russia analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency. They discuss the American schools of thought on Russia, how the new tools and technology complicate strategic stability, and how to avoid potentially catastrophic outcomes.
You can find George Beebe’s bio here: https://cftni.org/expert/george-beebe/ You can order his book The Russia Trap: How Our Shadow War with Russia Could Spiral into Nuclear Catastrophe starting in September: https://www.amazon.com/Russia-Trap-Shadow-Could-Escalate/dp/1250316626
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Erica Marat, who is an associate professor at the College of International Security Affairs at the U.S. National Defense University. Her recent book, The Politics of Police Reform, explores transformation of law enforcement agencies in former Soviet countries. They discuss the recent upheaval in Kyrgyzstan, as well as protests and police reforms in the former Soviet Union more broadly.
You can find Erica Marat’s recent book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-politics-of-police-reform-9780190861490?cc=us⟨=en&
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with…well, himself, to talk about the Moscow protests and what they may mean for Russia and for the Kremlin. He also answers mailbag questions, including on the differences between U.S. and Russian ideologies and the role of nationality and history in the countries sandwiched between the West and Russia.
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Dmitry Suslov, who is Deputy Director, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. They discuss the Trump-Putin meeting in Osaka, strategic stability, competing U.S. and Russian views of international order, and much else besides.
You can find Dmitry Suslov’s bio here: https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/1165509 You can find the video of his recent public presentation at CSIS here: https://www.csis.org/events/prospects-us-russia-relations-perspective-moscow
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Lyndon Allin, currently a D.C. based lawyer, who was a U.S. State Department secondee to the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 2011 to 2016. They discuss Moldova’s political transition, what it means for Russia, U.S., and Europe as well as devote time to Transnistria.
You can find Lyndon Allin’s bio here: https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/people/a/allin-lyndon-k The piece he co-wrote on the ouster of Moldova’s ruling party is here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/draining-the-moldovan-swamp You can follow him on Twitter: @scrapsofmoscow
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Jakub Janda, head of Kremlin Watch and Director at the European Values Think-Tank in Prague. They discuss Russian disinformation and influence operations in Europe as well as European states’ responses to them. If you are interested in China’s operations in Europe and how they differ from Russia’s, stay tuned to hear Jakub mention this as well. You can find Jakub Janda’s bio here: https://www.kremlinwatch.eu/#our-team The Kremlin Watch’s 2018 ranking of EU28’s responses to Russian operations is here: https://www.kremlinwatch.eu/userfiles/2018-ranking-of-countermeasures-by-the-eu28-to-the-kremlin-s-subversion-operations.pdf
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff welcomes Marian Schwartz, a prize-winning translator of Russian fiction and other works. They discuss her new translation of Olga Slavnikova’s novel The Man Who Couldn’t Die, as well as the state of Russian fiction today. Marian recommends other authors for you to discover and mentions a funny story illustrating the dangers of translating classical literature. You can read Marian’s bio here: https://www.marianschwartz.com/about and purchase the book here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-man-who-couldnt-die/9780231185950
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff welcomes back Melinda Haring, editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council. As the dust settles from a raucous Ukrainian presidential campaign (though by all measures a smooth and fair election day) they discuss what a Zelenskiy presidency means for Ukraine, for Russia, and for the West, and delve into Ukraine’s parliamentary politics in the runup to October Rada elections. testtest
You can read Melinda’s bio and recent publications, here: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/about/experts/list/melinda-haring
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Ambassador James Dobbins, Howard Schultz, and Ali Wyne, authors of the recent RAND Corporation report “Russia Is a Rogue, Not a Peer; China Is a Peer, Not a Rogue.” They discuss what type of challenge Russia and China pose to U.S. interests, how the two challenges are similar and different, and what U.S. policy can do in response to each. We encourage you to read their report, here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE310.html
You can view their bios and other publications, here: https://www.rand.org/about/people/d/dobbins_james.html https://www.rand.org/about/people/s/shatz_howard_j.html https://www.rand.org/about/people/w/wyne_ali.html
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Angela Stent, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and a professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University, and author of the recent book “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest” (Twelve, 2019), for which she won the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s prize for the best book on U.S-Russia Relations. They discuss Angela's new book, U.S.-Russia relations, Vladimir Putin's role in the construction of Russian foreign policy, and much, much more.
You can read Angela's bio and other publications, here: https://www.brookings.edu/experts/angela-stent/
We highly encourage (insist!) you pick up a copy of Angela's book at your local bookstore, or order it, here: https://www.twelvebooks.com/titles/angela-stent/putins-world/9781455533015/
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with William Pomeranz, Deputy Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and author of Law and the Russian State: Russia's Legal Evolution from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin (Bloomsbury, 2018). They discuss the evolution of law in Russia, the role of state power in the Russian legal tradition, the criminalization of commercial disputes, including the recent Michael Calvey case, Russia’s succession question and its legal ramifications, and much, much more.
We sincerely recommend Will’s book, available for purchase, here, https://www.amazon.com/Law-Russian-State-Evolution-Bloomsbury/dp/1474224229, or for order from your local bookstore.
You can view Will’s bio and read more about his other projects, here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/william-e-pomeranz
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Anna Ohanyan, the Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College. They discuss the concept of “regional fracture” in the post-Soviet world, how Russia employs this strategy to secure its own aims, what can be done about it, and why we should care.
For more on this topic, check out Anna’s new book, an edited volume titled Russia Abroad: Driving Regional Fracture in Post-Communist Eurasia and Beyond (Georgetown University Press, 2018) - http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/russia-abroad. And don’t miss Anna’s recent presentation at CSIS: https://www.csis.org/events/russia-abroad
You can view Anna’s bio and read more about her other projects, here: https://www.stonehill.edu/directory/anna-ohanyan/
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Joanna Lillis, an Almaty-based journalist for The Economist, The Guardian, and EurasiaNet and author of the recent book Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan, a vibrant portrait of the country based on 13 years of on-the-ground reporting. They discuss Nursultan Nazarbayev’s legacy, Kazakh identity and lots more.
You can follow Joanna, here, https://twitter.com/joannalillis?lang=en, and we recommend you purchase her excellent book through your local independent book store.
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Louis Lauter, Vice President for Congressional and Government Affairs at CSIS, and Colin McElhinny, Associate Director and Associate Fellow for Congressional and Government Affairs at CSIS. They discuss the role of Congress in U.S. relations with Russia, attitudes and approaches to Russia in the new Congress, and what sanctions legislation may be on the horizon. Note that this episode was recorded on January 25, before the government shutdown had ended.
You can learn more about Louis, here, https://www.csis.org/people/louis-lauter, and Colin, here, https://www.csis.org/people/colin-mcelhinny.
Be sure to check out their excellent work measuring the internationalism of Congress, here: https://www.csis.org/features/beyond-waters-edge
We want more mail! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Adam Mount, a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, its apparent demise, and the future of nuclear arms control. Then, Jeff answers our listeners’ mailbag questions on missile defense, the link between national identity and security orders in the post-Soviet region, and the future of Crimea.
Check out Adam’s bio and his recent publications, here: https://fas.org/expert/adam-mount/
We answered your mail, and we need more! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff offer their take on a busy 2018 in Russia and Eurasia: the Mueller investigation, Vladimir Putin 4.0, Skripal, the World Cup, Trump and Putin’s Helsinki encounter, a new government in Armenia, the Sea of Azov crisis. It's all here, and much, much more. 2018 brought some good news and some bad news. In the latter category, we are sad to report that this is the final episode of Russian Roulette featuring co-host Olya Oliker (though not the final episode of Russian Roulette, nor, likely, even the final episode with Olya participating). Olya is off to an exciting new position as head the Europe & Central Asia division of the International Crisis Group. Olya bids her farewell and thanks to all Russian Roulette listeners. This has been one of her favorite parts of the job, and your support made it possible. Meanwhile, Jeff will continue to carry the Russian Roulette torch into 2019. It’s a New Year and we need new mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you. С наступающим 2019 годом!
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Melinda Haring, Editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. They discuss the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine: the candidates, the issues, how it’s likely to play out, and what it all means for Ukraine and for the West.
You can view Melinda’s bio, here, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/about/experts/list/melinda-haring#fullbio, and follow the excellent UkraineAlert blog, here, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert.
Check out video of a recent CSIS event on Ukraine’s elections, here: https://www.csis.org/events/ukraines-election-campaign.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Sarah Cameron, associate professor of history at the University of Maryland and author of the recent book The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan (Cornell University Press, 2018), which examines an important though oft-overlooked episode in Soviet collectivization, the Kazakh famine of 1930-33. They discuss the causes and consequences of the famine; Sarah’s experience researching the topic in Kazakhstan; why the Kazakh famine is so little known in the West; how Kazakh society interacts with this episode of its history; and the state (and politics) of scholarship on Soviet collectivization. You can view Sarah’s bio, here, http://history.umd.edu/users/scameron, and you can purchase her book, here: http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140109782010 As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Philip Stewart, Director of the Program in Dialogue in Organizations at the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, and a Senior Associate at the Kettering Foundation. Phil directs a bipartisan dialogue on U.S. policy towards Russia—a Track 2 for Republicans and Democrats designed to formulate a sustainable U.S. policy towards Russia. They discuss the structure and content of the meetings, how Russia factors in U.S. domestic politics, and Phil’s impressions from a recent trip to Moscow of how Russia’s domestic political landscape is evolving. You can read some of Philip’s earlier publications, here, https://www.kettering.org/content/phil-stewart, or view his work history, here, https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-stewart-a3009413/. As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
On this election day 2018, Jeff sits down with Elizabeth Rosenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for New American Security (CNAS) for a sanctions-themed episode of Russian Roulette. They discuss the strategy and evolution of the Russia sanctions program, what effects sanctions have had on the economy and politics of Russia, the risks to the United States of over-relying on sanctions, and how Russia sanctions factor into U.S. domestic politics in 2018 and beyond. You can view Elizabeth’s bio and recent publications, here: https://www.cnas.org/people/elizabeth-rosenberg Having trouble navigating the web of U.S. sanctions against Russia? We organized them for you. Check out the CSIS Russia Sanctions Tracker @ https://russiasanctionstracker.csis.org/ As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Marlene Laruelle, a research professor at the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University, associate director of the Institute for Europe, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, and co-director of PONARS (Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia). Not least, Marlene is editor of the forthcoming collected volume Entangled Far Rights: A Russian-European Intellectual Romance in the Twentieth Century (November 6, 2018: University of Pittsburgh Press). They discuss the genesis and evolution of European-Russian far right connections, how Russia does and doesn’t influence the European far right today, and, shifting to a debate in the Eurasia academic community, the use of the term “fascist” to describe contemporary Russia.
You can view Marlene’s bio and recent publications, here: https://elliott.gwu.edu/marlene-laruelle
We encourage you to preorder her edited volume, here: https://www.amazon.com/Entangled-Far-Rights-Russian-European-Intellectual/dp/0822965658
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Olya and Jeff sit down with Sam Charap, a senior political scientist at RAND Corp and coauthor of the recent RAND report “Rethinking the Regional Order for Post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia,” which explores solutions to the dilemma of mutually exclusive Russian and Western integration paths for six “in between” countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We discuss the report’s findings and the viability of this third path to European security, as well as U.S.-Russia relations, Ukraine’s future, and European security writ large. You can view Sam’s bio and recent publications, here: https://www.rand.org/about/people/c/charap_samuel.html#overview And you can read the report, here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE297.html and Sam’s book on the Ukraine crisis, co-authored with Timothy Colton, here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781138633087 As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Marina Litvinenko, an activist, campaigner, and the widow of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian dissident poisoned in London by agents of the Russian government in 2006. They discuss Marina’s campaign to raise awareness about the Russian government’s illicit activity abroad, continuities between her husband’s case and the recent Skripal poisonings in Salisbury, Russian state propaganda, and more. Then, Olya and Jeff answer some mailbag questions from our esteemed Russian Roulette listeners.
For an account of Alexander Litvinenko’s activities as a whistleblower and his subsequent murder, we encourage you to read Death of a Dissident, coauthored by Marina Litvinenko and Alex Goldfarb. You can read more about Marina and Alex’s legal campaign against Russian state propaganda, here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/06/alexander-litvinenko-alex-goldfarb-sues-russian-tv-channels-for-libels
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Olya and Jeff sit down with Evgeniya Chirikova, a Russian environmental activist who got her start organizing opposition to a planned highway project that would destroy swathes of the federally-protected Khimki forest near Moscow. Our discussion of her efforts to save Khimki forest spills into a broader one about grassroots activism in Russia, its lessons, and its prospects.
You can read more about Evgeniya’s career, work and activism, here: https://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/evgenia-chirikova/
Check out Evgeniya’s website and project, Activatica, here: http://activatica.org/. Activatica is a digital communication platform that aims to build a network of activists in Russia around the word.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Olga and Jeff sit down with Brian Taylor to talk about his new book, The Code of Putinism. Brian is a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and his book provides a framework for thinking about Russian domestic and foreign policy. This podcast is a companion to the book launch CSIS hosted for The Code of Putinism, so we strongly recommend you check out both.
The book launch discussion, which also featured Stephen Hanson, Vice Provost for International Affairs at William and Marry College, is available here: https://www.csis.org/events/code-putinism-book-launch-event
You can view Brian’s bio and other publications, here: https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/psc/Taylor,_Brian/
If you would like to purchase The Code of Putinism, it is available in many fine bookstores. If you prefer your books delivered to your door, Olya asks that you consider an independent seller: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780190867324
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Olya and Jeff sit down with Bill Courtney for a complete tour d’Eurasie. Bill is an adjunct senior fellow at the RAND Corporation and a former career foreign service officer. He served as ambassador to Georgia, Kazakhstan, and the U.S.-Soviet Bilateral Consultative Commission, and covered Russia and Eurasia on the NSC. We discuss the Russian economy, from taxi drivers and pension reform to sanctions and business conditions, and recent developments in Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Armenia.
At 3:34, Olya erroneously states that the minimum retirement age for women in Russia is being raised to 60. It is being raised to 63.
At 34:20 Jeff mentions the evolution of the term “Eastern Europe.” For context, we recommend you read Timothy Garten Ash’s article on the topic, here: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1986/10/09/does-central-europe-exist/.
You can view Bill’s (illustrious) bio and read his recent publications, here: https://www.rand.org/about/people/c/courtney_william.html.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Seth G. Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project and a senior adviser to the International Security Program at CSIS, to discuss Seth’s forthcoming book, A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland, and the legacy of Cold War political warfare.
You can view Seth’s bio and recent publications, here: https://www.csis.org/people/seth-g-jones. We encourage you to pre-order his book, here: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294995524.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Jeff and Jeff take center stage in our sixty-first episode of Russian Roulette. Jeff Mankoff sits down with Jeff Rathke, senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at CSIS to discuss major takeaways from the most recent NATO summit, as well as the upcoming (at the time of recording) Trump-Putin bilateral meeting. Then, Jeff Mankoff tackles new mailbag questions, with some help from Research Associate and Producer, Cyrus Newlin.
You can view Jeff Rathke’s bio and publications, here: https://www.csis.org/people/jeffrey-rathke. For more summitry, be sure to catch his appearance on our sister podcast, The Readout, here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/readout.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, we sit down with Andrey Baklitskiy. Andrey is a consultant with the PIR Center in Moscow who writes and speaks on arms control and nonproliferation issues. We discuss Russian approaches to nonproliferation, Iran and North Korea, the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the future of arms control.
You can read Andrey’s bio and some of his recent articles here: http://www.pircenter.org/en/experts/25-2147658. Olya and Andrey’s recently coauthored article, “The Nuclear Posture Review and Russian ‘De-Escalation:’ A Dangerous Solution to a Nonexistent Problem,” is available for you to read, here: https://warontherocks.com/2018/02/nuclear-posture-review-russian-de-escalation-dangerous-solution-nonexistent-problem/.
We encourage you to read the final report and discussion papers from our U.S.-Russia Crisis Stability dialogue here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/us-russia-crisis-stability-results-track-ii-dialogue. You can watch Olya, Andrey, and Sharon Squassoni of George Washington University discuss the results of that dialogue here: https://www.csis.org/events/us-russia-crisis-stability-results-strategic-dialogue.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Aaron Schwartzbaum, the founder and former editor-in-chief of BMB Russia (formerly the Bear Market Brief), a daily news brief and blog covering Russia’s economy, politics, business climate, and political risk environment.
They discuss the Russian economy (myths, facts, and mysteries, as well as Russia’s economic outlook), Aaron’s experience starting and running BMB Russia, and how generational differences shape U.S. policy towards Russia.
We encourage you to read and sign up for BMB Russia, here: https://bearmarketbrief.com/
You can view Aaron’s bio, here: https://www.fpri.org/contributor/aaron-schwartzbaum/.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya sits down with Anton Lavrov, a visiting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS and an independent defense analyst affiliated with the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST). Anton is a leading specialist on Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia, and a widely-cited expert on Russian military capabilities and Russian operations abroad. Olya and Anton discuss Russian military reforms, what new capabilities Russia demonstrated in Syria, and where the Russian military may (or may not) be heading.
You can view Anton’s bio, here, https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/fellows, and watch his recent presentation at CSIS, here: https://www.csis.org/events/russian-armed-forces-syria-assessing-russian-reforms
We’ll link to Anton’s forthcoming report for the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program as soon as it is published.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya sits down with Leonid Nersisyan, Military Analyst at the REGNUM Information Agency and Editor in Chief of the Moscow-based New Defense Order Strategy magazine. They discuss the state of military analysis in Russia, including Leonid’s experience running a military affairs magazine; the Russian military-industrial complex and how defense contracts work in Russia; some of Russia’s new strategic systems; and the INF treaty and the future of U.S.-Russia arms control. Then, Olya and Jeff sit down for an overdue current affairs segment, where they tackle the latest political developments in Armenia, which has had a very exciting few weeks of protests, culminating in a new Prime Minister.
To read some of Leonid’s English-language analysis, check out his National Interest pieces, here: http://nationalinterest.org/profile/leonid-nersisyan.
Watch Leonid’s public presentation at CSIS, here: https://www.csis.org/events/putins-new-strategic-systems-plans-realities-and-prospects
You can read New Defense Order Strategy, here: http://en.dfnc.ru/
And check out our recent CSIS event on Armenia, here: https://www.csis.org/events/armenias-new-challenges-how-should-west-respond
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff answer the mail! (yes, it has been too long without a mailbag). Then, Olya sits down with Michael Kimmage, a professor of history at Catholic University who from 2014-2016 held the Russia/Ukraine portfolio on the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State. They discuss Russian literature: the essential works (including those less known in the West); how literature expands and complicates America’s understanding of Russia (and vice versa); film, animation, and Russian normalcy; the role of books and prose in Russian politics and society; and why policymakers in Washington should read Russian literature now more than ever.
For more information on Michael and for a list of his publications, click here: https://history.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/kimmage-michael/index.html
For your reference and reading enjoyment, here are some of the books, poets, films, and animations discussed in the episode:
Books and Poets
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn: https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/one-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich/pics/
The “Silver Age” of Russian poetry, including early works by Anna Akhmatova, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anna-akhmatova, and Boris Pasternak, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/boris-pasternak
The Brothers Karamazov, https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0374528373 , and Crime and Punishment, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2554/2554-h/2554-h.htm, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Fate-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590172019
The early works of Lyudmila Petrushevskaya: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310394/there-once-lived-a-girl-who-seduced-her-sisters-husband-and-he-hanged-himself-by-ludmilla-petrushevskaya/9780143121527/ ; https://granta.com/our-circle/
A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, by Aleksander Radishchev: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Saint-Petersburg-Moscow/dp/0674485505
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy: https://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Translated-Volokhonsky-Classics-ebook/dp/B005JSZJVS
Film
The Irony of Fate: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Animation
Nu, Pogodi! (Just You Wait!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1j8CoOoks
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that...
In the spirit of history, Russian literature, and other things the CSIS Russia team holds dear, we bring you a Russian Roulette episode that is both deeply gloomy and highly entertaining. Olya and Jeff sit down with Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, to discuss the state of U.S.-Russia relations, historical cycles in the relationship, signaling, and ways out of the current downward spiral. Note: this episode was recorded on April 2, before the Trump administration’s April 6 announcement of new sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs, and before reports emerged of a new chemical weapons attack in Syria. (It’s 2018. We can’t keep up. Can anyone?) To hear more from Matt, check out his bio and recent publications, here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/matthew-rojansky As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In a historically-minded episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff sit with William Taubman. Dr. Taubman is the Bertrand Snell Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Amherst College and the author of several books, including a biography of Nikita Khrushchev that won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2004, and, most recently, a biography of Mikhail Gorbachev. Of course, the three discuss Gorbachev: who and what inspired him, his political trajectory through the Communist Party, and how his personal traits both enabled and undermined his success and his historical role—as well as the importance of individuals to history. They also delve into Bill’s research and writing, including how he came to write this biography, some of the challenges he faced in writing it, and the evolution of his own relationship with Gorbachev over the course of many interviews. You can pick up a copy of Bill’s book at fine bookstores everywhere. If you’d like to buy the book through an independent bookstore, click here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393647013 For more information on Bill and his books, check out his website: https://williamtaubmanbooks.com/ As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff sit down with Vitali Shkliarov. Vitali is a Senior Adviser for Ksenia Sobchak’s presidential campaign. Previously, he worked for the Bernie Sanders campaign and for Obama for America. In 2016, alongside Dmitry Gudkov and Max Katz, he helped organize a campaign to field over 1,000 independent candidates in Moscow municipal elections.
Olya, Jeff, and Vitali discuss Russian and American political culture; the merits of “practicing democracy” in undemocratic settings; strategies and tactics for campaigning in Russia; and the political movement that Vitali is trying to build.
To read more about Vitali and the work he’s doing, check out some of these profiles of him:
“Can Russia have a ‘Bernie’ revolution?” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/a-bernie-sanders-campaign-veteran-advises-a-surging-opposition-movement-in-russia/2017/10/10/6f9479f4-a2c5-11e7-b573-8ec86cdfe1ed_story.html?utm_term=.b757442a8b20
“The man bringing Sanders-style politics to Moscow,” CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/09/europe/vitali-shkliarov-russian-politics/index.html
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
In a wide-ranging episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff sit down with Max Trudolyubov, a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and writer for The Russia File blog, as well as an editor at Vedomosti, the independent Russian daily.
They discuss Max’s efforts to make Russian commentators accessible to an English-language audience; Stalinism and the official view of Stalin today; religion and the state in Russia, and how this relationship has evolved; as well as Russia’s changing journalism and media landscape.
You can check out The Russia File here: http://www.kennan-russiafile.org/
You can view Max’s bio here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/maxim-trudolyubov
Be sure to keep an eye out for his forthcoming book!
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.