Russian Roulette

Latest Episodes:

Of the Quad and Russia’s Role in the Indo-Pacific - Russian Roulette Episode 111 Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

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.

Of Russia’s Energy Markets, Transitions, and Future - Russian Roulette Episode 110 Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

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.

Of The Dawn of a New Era in Arms Control?: Extending the New Start Treaty - Russian Roulette Episode 109 Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

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.

Of The End of a Very Long Year for U.S.-Russian Relations - Russian Roulette Episode 108 Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

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!

Of The Cost of Engineering Victory: Russia's September Elections and Impact of Team Navalny - Russian Roulette Episode 107 Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

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.

Of Russia’s Politics of Memory – Russian Roulette Episode 106 Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

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.

Of A ‘Pause’ in the Belarusian “Democratic Revolution” - Russian Roulette Episode 105 Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

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.

Of Russian Influence in Germany - Russian Roulette Episode 104 Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

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.

Of Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military, Part II - Russian Roulette Episode 103 Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

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!

Of Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military, Part I - Russian Roulette Episode 102 May 01, 2020

Show notes

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.

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