Disputes over the regional order in post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia are at the core of the breakdown in Russia-West relations, and have created major security and economic challenges for the states caught in between: first and foremost Ukraine, but also Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Current policy approaches toward the regional order—i.e., the set of rules, norms, and institutions that govern the region—have exacerbated today’s disorder and instability. The authors of a new report offer a comprehensive proposal for revising the regional order. The proposal, which addresses the security architecture, economic integration, and regional conflicts, was devised by four groups of experts convened by the RAND Corporation and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s Regional Office for Cooperation and Peace in Europe. Each group included representatives from the West, Russia, and the states in between. This event is made possible by the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, many in Washington foresee a new Cold War between the United States and China. The comparison to the U.S.-Soviet confrontation enjoys remarkable currency and durability in contemporary debate. For those who fear worsening relations and an insecurity spiral, the Cold War is a warning. For those more concerned about China’s rising economic and military power, authoritarian system, and global ambitions, it is a rallying cry and textbook for lessons. All acknowledge that the world will not replay the Cold War in all of its specifics, but perhaps the United States is facing a cold war.   Rarely does policy debate include careful historical analysis before deploying history. Is the comparison between the Cold War and today’s US-China competition the right historical prism? What are the similarities between then and now that might yield usable lessons for today’s competition? If it is a bad analogy, then how much damage is it doing to U.S. statecraft? Does the comparison inhibit our ability to understand current dynamics and stymie efforts to develop a better strategy? Are we trapped by the analogy merely because it is familiar? Can we find better historical comparisons that could shed light on today’s U.S.-China dynamics?   What would a Cold War historian say to policymakers if asked to answer these questions? CSIS invites you to join the Project on History and Strategy for a discussion with Dr. Melvyn Leffler, a leading historian of the Cold War, Dr. Francis Gavin, leading historian of nuclear policy and Director of the Henry Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, and Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. Drawing on decades of scholarship, they will analyze the merits and pitfalls of using the Cold War comparison for China from the historian’s perspective.   This event is made possible through general support from CSIS.

China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific is discussed often but what about its growing influence in Eurasia? What political and economic roles does China play in the region and what are the implications? Please join CSIS and George Washington University’s Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia (PONARS Eurasia) for a two panel event focused on China’s expanding role in Eurasia. Agenda 1:15 pm   Opening Remarks Jeffrey Mankoff, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS 1:30-3:00 pm   Seminar One: The China Factor in Eurasia Moderator Jeffrey Mankoff, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS Panelists Hilary Appel, Claremont McKenna College “Are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Partners? Interpreting The Russia-China Rapprochement” Elizabeth Wishnick, Montclair State University “Putin and Xi: Ice Cream Buddies and Tandem Strongmen” Stephen Kaplan, George Washington University “Chinese and Russian Creditors in Venezuela: Oil Collapse and Political Survival” Discussant Jonathan Hillman, Senior Fellow, Simon Chair in Political Economy, and Director, Reconnecting Asia Project, CSIS   Coffee Break   3:00-3:15 pm   3:15 to 4:45 pm   Seminar Two: China’s Growing Role in Central Asia and the South Caucasus Moderator Henry Hale, George Washington University Panelists Eric McGlinchey, George Mason University “Questioning Sinophobia in Central Asia” Sebastien Peyrouse, George Washington University  “On the Road to Failure? The Challenges of China’s Soft Power Policy in Central Asia (And Beyond)” Anar Valiyev, ADA University, Baku “Azerbaijan Through The Prism of OBOR: Chinese Interests in the Region” Discussant Mariya Omelicheva, Professor of National Security Strategy, National Defense University This event was made possible through general support to CSIS.  

China’s rise in the Indo-Pacific is discussed often but what about its growing influence in Eurasia? What political and economic roles does China play in the region and what are the implications? Please join CSIS and George Washington University’s Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia (PONARS Eurasia) for a two panel event focused on China’s expanding role in Eurasia. Agenda 1:15 pm   Opening Remarks Jeffrey Mankoff, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS 1:30-3:00 pm   Seminar One: The China Factor in Eurasia Moderator Jeffrey Mankoff, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS Panelists Hilary Appel, Claremont McKenna College “Are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin Partners? Interpreting The Russia-China Rapprochement” Elizabeth Wishnick, Montclair State University “Putin and Xi: Ice Cream Buddies and Tandem Strongmen” Stephen Kaplan, George Washington University “Chinese and Russian Creditors in Venezuela: Oil Collapse and Political Survival” Discussant Jonathan Hillman, Senior Fellow, Simon Chair in Political Economy, and Director, Reconnecting Asia Project, CSIS   Coffee Break   3:00-3:15 pm   3:15 to 4:45 pm   Seminar Two: China’s Growing Role in Central Asia and the South Caucasus Moderator Henry Hale, George Washington University Panelists Eric McGlinchey, George Mason University “Questioning Sinophobia in Central Asia” Sebastien Peyrouse, George Washington University  “On the Road to Failure? The Challenges of China’s Soft Power Policy in Central Asia (And Beyond)” Anar Valiyev, ADA University, Baku “Azerbaijan Through The Prism of OBOR: Chinese Interests in the Region” Discussant Mariya Omelicheva, Professor of National Security Strategy, National Defense University This event was made possible through general support to CSIS.  

Since the widening of Russia's rift with the West in 2014, relations between Russia and China have entered a new stage, characterized by a more robust political, military and economic cooperation. In spite of a number of problems and asymmetries in bilateral relations, the two states’ interdependence has been growing against the background of mounting tensions with Washington. Are the two countries moving closer to an alliance? What has been the balance between political, military and economic cooperation, and what challenges have emerged? What are the driving factors behind Russia's position on China's Belt and Road Initiative and what is the logic of the Greater Eurasian Partnership? Where do Russia's interests in Asia converge and diverge with those of China and what are the implications? Is there room for U.S.-Russia cooperation in Asia and what would that look like? This event is made possible by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

On April 23, 2019, the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies will be hosting a discussion on pre-existing and emerging threats to U.S. space systems. The event will kickoff with a keynote from Steve Kitay, DASD for Space Policy. Following Mr. Kitay's remarks, an expert panel will discuss recent global counterspace developments. This event highlights the Aerospace Security Project’s new report, Space Threat Assessment 2019, and the Secure World Foundation’s new report, Global Counterspace Capabilities. Following the discussion, please join us for a screening of a new documentary, Commanding Space: The Story Behind the Space Force, produced by the CSIS Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab. To celebrate the launch of both the new report and the documentary, we invite you to stay after the screening for a networking reception. This event is made possible through general support to CSIS. 

Following decades of confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang, chances for at least a partial normalization appeared to increase last year. However, two summits between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump failed to produce substantive policy changes on either side, and mutual distrust remains high. What are the main factors preventing the two countries from achieving a lasting agreement? Is continued bilateral dialogue useful? What are the positions and goals of the parties concerned? Is normalization U.S.-North Korea relations even possible? What role can third parties, such as China and Russia, play in U.S.-North Korean diplomacy?   Please join us as Anastasia Barannikova, a visiting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS, provides a view from Vladivostok on these questions and others. The Russian Visiting Fellows Program at CSIS is made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

At a time of unprecedented tension in U.S.-Russia relations, understanding why the two countries pursue conflicting foreign policies requires not just a close reading of their political institutions and security environments, but of how the two publics perceive each other and the world. Is Russia more or less respected than it was five years ago? Should the U.S. cooperate with or contain Russia? Are sanctions against Russia working? Do Americans want arms control? Is Russia a threat to U.S. national security? Is America the biggest threat posed to Russia? Please join us for a presentation of the findings from a new binational study of American and Russian public opinion conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Levada Analytical Center. Researchers from the Council and Levada will discuss and provide context for public perceptions of Russia’s return to prominence on the world stage, interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, the crisis in Ukraine, and the possibility of a new arms race. This event is made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The collapse of the Soviet Union left Russia encircled by weak states and fractured regions. Some of the divisions around Russia’s periphery are legacies of the Soviet Union and Russian Empire. Others are the result of contemporary political and economic divides. From Balkans to Central Asia and the Middle East, Russia seeks to manipulate these fractures to strengthen its own influence. This event is made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

In recent years Russian influence in Afghanistan has grown. This development is striking, since for three decades after the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989, Moscow has demonstrated little appetite for involvement or intervention south of the post-Soviet space. What is driving Russia’s return to Afghanistan? What is at stake now for Russia in and around Afghanistan? How does Afghanistan fit into broader Russian foreign policy objectives? Are the United States and Russia moving toward competition or rivalry in and around Afghanistan?   This event is made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York.