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The worst crisis since the wars in Yugoslavia is convulsing Eastern Europe. Ukraine is on the brink of a civil war, and Russian intervention may be possible despite the Sochi Olympics. An East-West confrontation may be imminent.
By Dr. Ariel Cohen
The Heritage Foundation
February 19, 2014
Dr. Cohen was cited in a USA TODAY article on the situation in Ukraine."We need to make clear to Russia that any kind of meddling in Ukraine internal affairs is totally unacceptable," said Cohen of the Heritage Foundation. "Ukraine is a sovereign country, despite what some in Russia may think."
By Olga Rudenko Special
USA TODAY
February 19, 2014
Russia scholar Ariel Cohen of the conservative Heritage Foundation described a visit to Russia in 2004 that was supposed to include a meeting with Putin. Instead, it took a tragic turn as he and his other participants were “glued to the television” watching the deadly hostage standoff at a school in Beslan.
By Philip Ewing
POLITICO
January 22, 2014
The brutal dispersal of demonstrators in Ukraine last week led to dozens wounded—and a public protest movement which now surpasses the Orange Revolution of 2004. Demonstrators want Ukraine in Europe—and President Victor Yanukovich out of power. Ariel Cohen, Heritage’s Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies, gives some perspective on where this is coming from.
By Dr. Ariel Cohen
The Heritage Foundation
December 2, 2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking economic and political alliances to counterbalance the influence of the U.S., the European Union, China, and transnational Islamism. Putin is determined to strengthen Moscow’s hegemony in the “near abroad”—the post-Soviet space. One of the instruments he has created to achieve that strategic objective is the Russia-dominated Eurasian Union.
By James M. Roberts, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. and Jonathan Blaisdell
The Heritage Foundation
November 27, 2013
Increasing global power demand—coupled with high natural gas prices in Asia and Europe for electricity generation, and the alarmist climate change narrative—make the right energy generation balance a national priority for developed and developing countries. France and Russia—the current market leaders in nuclear-power-plant construction—are taking full advantage of this market demand.
By Ariel Cohen
The National Interest
November 19, 2013
Testimony before Europe and Eurasia Subcommittee, Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate
Today, there may be a chance to break this ancient dynamic by signing the Association Agreement (AA) and DCFTA between the Eastern Partnership members and the EU. The U.S. has national interests in the region, as it supports integration of the EuP members into the greater Euro- Atlantic area.
By Dr. Ariel Cohen
Recently, several of Russia’s “younger siblings,” such as Ukraine and Moldova, finally got a chance to partially break from the Russian bear hug and opt for a closer integration with the West.They are members of the Eastern Partnership with the European Union, a close cooperation program with the EU, and are planning to sign an Association Agreement and a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement.
By Ivan Benovic and Ariel Cohen
The Heritage Foundation
October 24, 2013
Russia is pressuring Ukraine to join Belarus and Kazakhstan in a Eurasian Customs Union led by Moscow. Acquiescing to Russia’s wishes would anchor Ukraine in a Moscow-dominated economic zone and impose higher tariffs on Ukrainian trade with the European Union. Russia also wants Ukraine to join the Joint Economic Space, the Eurasian Union, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
By Dr. Ariel Cohen
The Heritage Foundation
October 21, 2013
Lithuania is building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at the port of Klaipeda. The project, which is expected to be operational by 2014, will give the Baltic nation access to the world’s LNG market. Today, the nation’s existing natural gas infrastructure consists of a single pipeline owned by the Russian-government-controlled energy giant Gazprom.
By Ariel Cohen and Daniel Kochis
The Heritage Foundation
July 18, 2013
The formation of a Eurasian Union (EAU) is the next in a series of Russian initiatives to reassert control over the former Soviet space. The Eurasian Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, if it follows the course that Russia will set, could threaten regional stability and undermine economic and political freedom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
By Ariel Cohen
June 14, 2013
THE Boston Marathon attack by two young Chechen men demonstrates the global nature and deep historic roots of contemporary Islamist terrorism.It also indicates that major sports competitions, concerts and other events are targets for terrorists and sends the warning to the organisers of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia: “You are next”.
By Ariel Cohen
April 21, 2013
When the Russian Foreign Ministry released its updated Foreign Policy Concept in February, codifying Russia’s global strategies, Washington yawned. Yet this document reveals much about the emerging “Putin Doctrine.” It further separates Russia from Western Europe and is especially critical of the United States.
By Ariel Cohen
April 5, 2013
London mayor Boris Johnson published an op-ed Monday in which he decried the posthumous trial of whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky.Johnson called Magnitsky “a martyr trampled by a corrupt system” and called on the United Kingdom and the European Union to pass a Magnitsky Act—which levies financial sanctions and visa restrictions on the Russian officials involved in Magnitsky’s death—of its own.
By Ariel Cohen
March 13, 2013
Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan—rich in oil and gas, and the world’s largest landlocked country—is the focus of many Fortune 500 companies seeking new business development and market penetration in emerging economies. In the 2012 edition of the Index of Economic Freedom, Kazakhstan’s economy ranks as the 65th-freest in the world.
By Ariel Cohen and James M. Roberts
The Heritage Foundation
June 26, 2012
December marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union. It’s a fitting time, then, to take stock of what was achieved — and what failed — in Eurasia over the last two decades.
By Ariel Cohen
The New York Times
By Ariel Cohen
Last Friday, this author had the opportunity to dine in the company of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, his senior staff, and the attendees of the annual Valdai Club meeting at Le Cheval Blanc, a gourmet restaurant in Moscow.
By Ariel Cohen
Last week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would deploy short-range missiles and possibly withdraw from the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (New START) if the United States moves forward with its plans for a missile-defense system in Europe. Russian threats are yet another indicator that the “reset” in relations between Moscow and Washington is on its last leg.
Last Friday, this author had the opportunity to dine in the company of Vladimir Putin, his senior staff, and the attendees of the annual Valdai Club meeting in Moscow. Despite its location at an upscale riding club, the dinner was delicious, and horse meat was not on the menu.
Moscow has shown yet again that it is determined to protect Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Russia and China have asked Yukiya Amano, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) director general, to stall U.S.-backed plans to publicize information on Iran’s nuclear program. This information is available in a diplomatic note acquired by the Associated Press.
Obama’s "Change" Didn’t Happen, Republicans to Return?
10-27-2010
Interview with Ariel Cohen
We spoke to Ariel Cohen a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation for his expert view on what changes are in store for U.S. policy after the upcoming U.S. elections his candid answers regarding START, health care, the economy and military spending are worth listening to.
Ariel Cohen and Anton Altman
Russia is bemoaning the passing of Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi, an old friend and client of the Soviet Union and a reliable customer for Russian arms sales. But Qadhafi belongs to the 20th century. In the 21st, Russia has new interests in Africa, and the Libyan strongman’s passing will not derail them for long.
Ariel Cohen and Anatoliy Khomenko
On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev forced Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin to resign.
Medvedev’s harsh treatment of Kudrin was a response to the statement Kudrin made over the weekend. Following the announcement of Vladimir Putin running for president in the upcoming presidential elections and Medvedev’s future job as the prime minister.
By Ariel Cohen
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s return to power means stability - and stagnation - for Russians and a tough counterpart for both America and Russia’s neighbors. Putin’s nomination to the Russian presidency means that he may become the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin, who ruled for almost 30 years.
