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| A Different View on the European Anniversary |
Fyodor Lukyanov
Europe recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the anti-Communist revolution that put an end to the division of the world into two ideological blocs. The events of 1989 opened a new chapter in global politics; however, even two decades later, the full content of this chapter remains unclear. |
| The Afghan Problem in the Regional Context |
Ivan Safranchuk
Russia by no means is interested in a defeat of the international forces in Afghanistan, as it would create new security problems. But Moscow does not see prospects for a military victory. And if these prospects appeared, they would give a green light to “Greater Central Asia” infrastructure projects that would be economically disadvantageous for Russia. |
| The Fundamental Conflict |
Yevgeny Primakov
If Israel annexes the Arab territories it occupied in 1967, it will soon cease to be a Jewish state as the ratio between the Jewish and Arab populations in it will inevitably change in favor of the latter due to its birth rates. |
| Labyrinths of the Arctic Policy |
Oleg Alexandrov
The creation of a regional security system, such as a Baltic Union, would help to consolidate Russia’s positions in Northern Europe and in the Arctic, as this system could be a prototype for a new, co-operative security system in Europe. |
| Russia and the U.S.: Reconfiguration, Not Resetting |
Sergei Karaganov, Timofei Bordachev, Dmitry Suslov
It would make sense for Moscow to offer its own package of ideas to Washington regarding the improvement of relations, and this package should be bigger than the one proposed by President Obama. The two countries must take a course towards a “big deal” based on the analysis of vital interests of the sides and their priority ranking. The parties should pledge respect for each other’s interests in the areas where these interests are truly vital, while making concessions on secondary issues. |
| No Lull in Sight |
Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief
There has been no traditional summertime lull in Russian politics this year. The breath of the crisis is felt everywhere. In Russia, it forces the government to take preventive measures – many analysts predict a hot autumn prone with social problems. But in the international arena, new opportunities are opening up, which Moscow does not want to miss. |
| Transition to Uncertainty |
Fyodor Lukianov, Editor-in-Chief
The global crisis is being discussed so much that there seems to be no aspect left that has not been analyzed in depth. |
| The Flipside of September 11, 2001 |
Vladimir Ovchinsky
The reality that developed after September 11, 2001 and August 8, 2008 is such that the “catches” of self-defense, self-determination and peacekeeping in ambiguous UN documents can be used to justify war against sovereign states. |
| Two Crises on the Way to Reshaping the World |
Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief
Two crises have occurred one after the other in the past few months that have had a significant impact on Russian foreign policy. The Russian-Georgian war in August and the upheavals on global financial markets in September and October are not related. Yet both events, each in its own way, have contributed to the formulation by Russia of its national interests. One can say that the two crises have set a conceptual framework of interests, defining a vector for the indispensable and boundaries for the possible. |
| Missile Defense Challenges |
Pavel Zolotarev
Russia and the U.S. have become hostages of Cold War weapons, above all ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles which cannot be placed in a reduced launch readiness status without violating the normal mode of operation. Therefore, the system of “mutual assured destruction” must be maintained. |
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