Fletcher Russia & Eurasia Program

The U.S. treasury announced sanctions against Russia’s Gazprombank as well as fifty other small and medium-sized banks and forty security registrar’s. This new round of sanctions is part of the U.S. effort to further close off Russia’s access to foreign aid. #FletcherAlum Ariel Cohen notes these sanctions to be a step in the right direction, but they may be three years too late. Read his full comments here: https://lnkd.in/dyHgTYui 

#FletcherAlum ZVIAD ADZINBAIA outlines the democratic crisis unfolding in Georgia after its parliamentary elections, and traces the causes to electoral manipulation, Russian interference, and a ruling party determined to consolidate its grip on power. President Zourabichvili claims that the Georgia Dream party has weaponized anti-Western narratives to gain political advantage and has increasingly aligned itself with authoritarian regimes. The geopolitical implications of this shift in Georgia could affect the West’s credibility in the region as China, Russia, and Iran continue to spread their influence. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dQuveETX

Trump’s claims that he should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize could be backed by his resolution to end the war in Ukraine upon taking office. Further, he could earn the nomination if he were to use his influence to end the war in Gaza as well. Trump’s relationships with both Putin and Netanyahu could be the leverage he needs to secure the Nobel nomination he has claimed to earn. #FletcherAlum Evelyn N. Farkas details the validity of these claims. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dCGiqkud

The Russia-China relationship and the support China has provided to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine highlight the difficulty Western nations have had in trying to cut off supplies of technology to Russia, #FletcherAlum Mike Eckel writes. Chinese electronics manufacturers have been reported as having appointed U.S. banks as the go-betweens for traders buying and selling international shares, but giants such as CitiGroup have denied claims of sanctions violations. Going forward, the U.S. and other Western nations will have to regroup and think of strategies to tighten the supply chains leading to Russia to support their efforts in ending the war. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dKtUczXC

#FletcherAlum Peter Rough looks ahead to the Trump presidency and its implications for the existing Western sanctions against Russia. With Russia looking down the barrel at an economic crisis, Trump claims he will end the war upon taking office. In order to do so, he must double down on the existing sanctions and up the ante even more through actions such as a total ban on oil sales, disrupting the Russia-China relationship, and repurposing frozen Russian assets. The world will wait to see how Trump chooses to act in the coming months. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dM9vGT7g

Reflecting on the Fletcher Russia and Eurasia Program’s events this year, February of 2024 saw spirited lunch seminars focused on political activism in Ukraine, security and economic development in the Western Balkans, and anti-war resistance in Russia. The program will continue to cover the events unfolding in Ukraine and across the region and will keep the space for conversation open to include a variety of perspectives and insights. Read about our events here: https://lnkd.in/dDP4Abx4

Student Natasha Wood recaps the Fletcher Russia and Eurasia program events from April and March 2024. Topics spanned from analysis of Putin’s aggression by Sergei Erofeev to the geopolitics of the South Caucasus with Anna Ohanyan to the energy transition in Central Asia with Rahat Sabyrbekov. The program looks forward to hosting many more speakers in this coming year and opening the space for dialogue between experts and students. Read about our events here: https://lnkd.in/dJNVX3yT

The U.S. has further loosened its self-imposed restraints in regards to its supplying of weapons to Ukraine, having recently approved the use of Atomic Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Storm Shadow Missiles missiles. As visiting professor Mikhail Troitskiy notes, this move gives Ukraine more strength in pushing back against Russian-held territory, but the ensuing entrenchment would make it difficult for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire along those territorial lines. Effectively, Moscow is now at a crossroads, should it escalate in hopes of still achieving its goals or avoid further confrontation from the West? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/daVhbQZ3

#FletcherAlum Polina Beliakova joins a panel of security experts at Boston University to discuss the standing of the NATO alliance in light of European elections and in the context of the war in Ukraine. The panelists answer questions on the challenges this alliance is increasingly going to be facing, especially in the face of a deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea. Watch the entire panel here: https://lnkd.in/ePhYjXZp

#FletcherAlum Sung-Yoon Lee discusses the effects of the ratification of a major defense pact between North Korea and Russia, especially after North Korean troops have already been sent to Russia to support its military. With Russia already making moves to escalate the conflict, it is worth wondering how a stronger relationship with North Korea could affect the Western response. Listen to the full remarks here: https://lnkd.in/d45V-tR2