by Mark N. Katz In Ukraine, Moscow has openly declared that its motive for intervention and support for separatist forces has been to counter the West. In contrast, Russian officials have characterized their support for the Assad regime in Syria as… Continue Reading
by Derek Davison A series of Russian moves to bolster support for dictator Bashar al-Assad and for a negotiated political settlement to Syria’s four-and-a-half-year civil war may allow for a new, unified focus on combating the Islamic State (ISIS or… Continue Reading
by Mark N. Katz Prior to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in early 2014, Washington’s relations with Moscow were never worse than Washington’s relations with Tehran after the 1979 revolution. Indeed, occasionally in the 1990s and 2000s Russian-American relations seemed to be… Continue Reading
by Joshua Kucera Iran may be admitted into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization this summer if it makes progress in resolving disputes over its nuclear program, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has said.
by Derek Davison This is the second in a series of primers on the fast-moving situation in Ukraine, and covers events from March 2 through March 9. For more background on the situation, please see part 1. Summary of Recent… Continue Reading