Articles by Andrei Tsygankov



Ukraine Must Prepare to Rebuild Itself

The three months of increasingly intense fighting between pro-Kiev forces and eastern separatists have unleashed both sides' worst instincts and demonstrated their high tolerance for loss of civilian life. Kiev's army and sub-army units are guilty of employing heavy weapons to shell residential neighborhoods, while the separatists may be guilty of downing a commercial airliner.

Putin is Not a Nationalist

The specter of Russian nationalism continues to haunt Europe and the U.S. Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, many in the West assumed that President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy was now driven by ethno-nationalist ideas, not state interests.

Sanctions Can Help Russia

Putin needs to exploit the isolation imposed by the West by rebuilding Russia as a strong state. This could help revive the country's economy.

Treat Russia as a Global Power

Russia wants to renegotiate the end of the Cold War by building a global framework that treats it as an equal power, not a defeated one.

Why Western Sanctions Won't Make Putin Change His Strategy

The West has repeatedly suggested that Russia should mind its own business and accept its status as a diminished "regional power."

Obama Has No Russia Policy

U.S. strategic thinking is impotent. Although the world has changed since the Cold War, U.S. thinking has not.

Stop the Hitler Comparisons

The hawks who say it is dangerous to appease Putin are trying to push the U.S. toward a military conflict with Russia.

Great Divide With the West

The Kremlin expects Western nations to stop their assertive projection of power, such as democracy promotion and NATO expansion.

U.S. Needs a Russia Strategy

The U.S.-Russia agenda is not exhausted. The question is whether Washington is prepared to embrace it and assume the leadership.

Anti-Russia Lobby Controls Obama

Obama needs to control the Russia agenda and not let the anti-Russia lobby influence his policy toward Moscow.

Why Russia Still Backs Assad

Russia's approach to the Middle East is based on a worldview that is fundamentally different from the one shared by West. The currently dominant discourse in Russia is that of a culture that incorporates both Western and Eastern influences while preserving its own distinctiveness.

Why Putin Wants Obama to Win

The change in Russia's perception can be explained by the sobering effects of the global recession and the "reset" in relations.

Treat Russia as a True Partner

Western countries rarely appreciate Russia's capacity for sacrificing its interests to larger international objectives. Rather, the West tends to view Russia as a state that is frequently assertive and prone to becoming a revisionist power.

Reforms Loom in Russia 3.0

Russia has entered a new political era by leaving behind both the 2000s and the 1990s. Vladimir Putin's return to power is not likely to be accompanied by a strengthened domination of one party and a new spread of corruption within the ruling class. Short of major international disturbances, the system is more likely to function as a gradual, state-controlled liberalization.

Putin's Mission To Become the Next Stolypin

Since Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's decision to return to the presidency, he has been frequently compared to former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Putin rejects the Brezhnev analogy. Instead, he likes to cast himself as a follower of Pyotr Stolypin, the powerful prime minister under Nicholas II. 

Rethinking the Reset

Since the reset button in U.S.-Russian relations has been pressed, Russia and the West have learned to cooperate on multiple issues from Iran and Afghanistan to nuclear arms control. Still, the momentum for improving Western ties with Russia seems to be caught in a holding pattern. It seems that both sides are increasingly frustrated with each other's policies.


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