Recent Publications

Rosoboroneksport: Arms Sales and the Structure of Russian Defense Industry
January 1, 2007 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank Although Russian observers believe that Washington imposed sanctions in Russian arms sellers and producers because of these firms’ arms sales to Venezuela. Sales to such dangerous states oblige us to analyze the Russian defense export program and the structure of its defense industry. Until now, that industry would have... MORE

Russian Nonproliferation Policy and the Korean Peninsula
December 1, 2006 — Authors: Dr Yong-Chool Ha, Dr Beom-Shik Shin Efforts to resolve the threat posed to Northeast Asia's security by North Korea's nuclear proliferation through six-party negotiations are proceeding with great difficulty. As in any multilateral process, a major problem is understanding the goals and perspectives of each of the participants. This... MORE

Russian Defense Reform: Current Trends
November 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Irina Isakova Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the topic of Russian defense policy has not received great attention. The rebuilding of Russian military strength is a high priority of President Vladimir Putin, and one to which he and his subordinates have devoted considerable time and resources. Therefore, inattention to Russian... MORE

Russia, Iran, and the Nuclear Question: The Putin Record
November 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Robert O Freedman The author analyzes the Russo-Iranian relationship through the spring of 2006. This issue is vitally important in U.S. foreign policy, not just as it relates to Iran and the overall issue of nonproliferation, especially in the Middle East, but also as U.S. foreign policy pertains to relations with Moscow. Thus this... MORE

Is Eurasia’s Security Order at Risk?
May 8, 2006 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the May 2006 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Iron Troikas: The New Threat from the East
March 28, 2006 — Author: Dr Richard J Krickus There has been widespread discussion of Russia's efforts to exploit its energy assets to influence developments in Ukraine; specifically, to put pressure on the leaders of the Orange Revolution who have adopted a Western orientation, rather than one toward the East—Russia. The author explains how the Russian leadership... MORE

Seizing the Day: Resolution in and around the Black Sea
March 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the March 2005 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Strategic Consequences of the Iraq War: U.S. Security Interests in Central Asia Reassessed
May 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Elizabeth Wishnick The U.S.-led war in Iraq complicates security cooperation between the United States and Central Asia at a time when other regional powers—especially Russia, China, and India—are competing for influence in the region more overtly. Concerned about the implications of the U.S. interest in "regime change" for their own... MORE

Strategic Effects of Conflict with Iraq: Post-Soviet States
March 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The author has been asked to analyze four issues: the position that key states in their region are taking on U.S. military action against Iraq; the role of America in the region after the war with Iraq; the nature of security partnerships in the region after the war with Iraq; and the effect that war with Iraq will have... MORE

Growing U.S. Security Interests in Central Asia
October 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Elizabeth Wishnick The author assesses U.S. security interests and military activities in Central Asia. She notes that strengthening the Central Asian states against terrorism and assisting their transition to stable and prosperous nations are difficult and fraught with danger. In particular, there is the risk that the U.S. military... MORE

Beyond Nunn-Lugar: Curbing the Next Wave of Weapons Proliferation Threats from Russia
April 1, 2002 — Author: Mr Thomas Riisager, Mr Henry D Sokolski The chapters in this book were originally commissioned by the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) as part of a study on the future of U.S.-Russian nonproliferation cooperation. This book is different from other studies of U.S.-Russian cooperation because it relies on competitive... MORE

Threats to Russian Security: The View from Moscow
July 1, 2000 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The documented threat assessments addressed here are clearly the culmination to date of a long-standing process by which the Russian military and government have forsaken the optimistic Westernizing postures and visions of the initial post-Soviet years and returned in many respects to assessments and demands for specific... MORE