Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 ushered in a new era. For the United States and Europe, there is no going back to the way things were before Moscow invaded its neighbor. Leaders must now be prepared for a period of prolonged confrontation with Russia, with Putin’s war in Ukraine at its center. Looking forward, there will be a strong temptation to downgrade Russia as a threat, given deficiencies exposed by the war and the war’s exacerbation of preexisting trends pushing Russia towards decline. Yet doing so would be a mistake. Moscow will retain both the intent and the capacity to challenge the West, even though the nature of this threat is evolving. Russia may be down, but it’s most certainly not out. Russia is also pursuing greater cooperation among Washington’s adversaries–most notably with China, Iran, and North Korea–which is shifting global dynamics in ways that are likely to embolden hostile and illiberal actors. These dynamics are creating new challenges that the United States and its European allies must confront.
To this end, The Transatlantic Security Program analyzes Russian domestic and foreign policy to equip policymakers with insights they need to understand and respond to the evolving Russian threat. Through our flagship Transatlantic Forum on Russia, we strive to foster coherence between the United States and Europe on Russia-related issues and develop policies designed to jointly deter and counter Russia’s destabilizing behavior.
Highlights
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The Russia Stability Tracker
Reports
In February 2023—one year into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine��CNAS convened a group of leading U.S. experts on Putin’s Russia and authoritarianism to assess...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor
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Democracy under Threat
Reports
In 1998, Viktor Orbán was elected the prime minister of Hungary in free and fair elections. He was supported by the Fidesz party—a movement he founded in 1988 that became a po...
By Erica Frantz, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Joseph Wright, Jia Li, Carisa Nietsche, Nicholas Lokker & Nicolas Rice
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The Russia Stability Tracker
Reports
One year into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, it is evident that the Kremlin’s military capabilities have fallen far short of Putin’s political ambitions, r...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor