Russia and Eurasia

Dialogue of the Deaf: Obama and Putin at the G-20 Meeting

June 18, 2012

Today, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting [1] at the G-20 summit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This meeting is likely will be tense, as the two leaders have fundamentally different agendas regarding some of the most pressing international problems.

By Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation, June 18, 2012

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Russia, PNTR, and Human Rights

June 13, 2012

Progress on the ability of U.S. firms to take advantage of new business opportunities when Russia joins the World Trade Organization (WTO) took a step forward yesterday when Senate leaders acknowledged that legislation to promote human rights will be a condition needed for permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to move forward, too.

By Ariel Cohen and Bryan Riley

The Heritage Foundation, June 13, 2012

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BP's Russian Adventure

June 11, 2012

There are many stories of Western oil-company adventures in Russia. Some of them end well, and some of them end badly.

By Ariel Cohen

The National Interest, June 11,2012

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The Magnitsky Act: The Moment of Truth

June 5, 2012

This Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will put the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act up for a vote. The bill seeks “to impose sanctions on persons responsible for the detention, abuse, or death of Sergei Magnitsky, and for other gross violations of human rights in the Russian Federation, and for other purposes.”

By Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

June 5, 2012

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The Secretary's Daunting Agenda

June 4, 2012

Late last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began her tour of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. In Scandinavia, she was to address several forums on climate change and green energy. While in Sweden, she also planned to discuss Internet freedom, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

By Ariel Cohen

The National Interest, June 4, 2012

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Hillary Clinton to engage in intense geopolitical discussions in Caucasus

May 31, 2012

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will engage in intense geopolitical discussions in the Caucasus and Turkey during her visit, the leading expert of the Heritage Foundation for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, member of Trend Expert Council, Ariel Cohen said.

Today.AZ

May 31, 2012

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Azerbaijan: Between Iran and a Hard Place

March 21, 2012

The former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan is a small country sandwiched between Russia and Iran along the coast of the Caspian Sea, which is in fact the largest salt lake on earth, not a sea. Americans should not feel bad if they can't find it on a geography quiz. But due to its unique location, the country is playing an increasingly important role in the West’s confrontation with Iran.

The National Interest,  

March 21, 2012

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Global U.S.–Russian Rivalry Fuels Syria Clash in the U.N.

March 13, 2012

On Monday, Washington and Moscow clashed yet again in the U.N. Security Council over what to do about the bloody conflict in Syria. Neither side came up with a solution the other one agrees to. But this rivalry is about much more than just Syria.

By Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

March 13, 2012

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Russia, 20 Years Along

December 2, 2011

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

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Dinner with Putin: And What About Russia’s Foreign Policy?

November 23, 2011

By Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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Will Russian Missile Defense Hysteria Torpedo the ‘Reset’?

November 19, 2011

By Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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Putin Is Back “Seriously and for a While”

November 18, 2011

Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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Is Russia Becoming Iran’s Diplomatic Godfather?

November 2, 2011

Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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Obama’s "Change" Didn’t Happen, Republicans to Return?

October 27, 2011

Obama’s "Change" Didn’t Happen, Republicans to Return?

10-27-2010

Interview with Ariel Cohen

The Voice of Russia

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.

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Russia’s African Expansion Boosted by New BRICS Stock Market

October 24, 2011

Ariel Cohen and Anton Altman

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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Kudrin’s Dismissal Projects Future Instability in Russia

September 28, 2011

Ariel Cohen and Anatoliy Khomenko

The Heritage Foundation

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.

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The Putin Challenge

September 27, 2011

By Ariel Cohen

CNN World

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.

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Political Scandals Heat Up in Russia

September 20, 2011

Ariel Cohen

The National Interest

Russia’s political-scandal season has reached a boiling point. On Thursday, September 16, Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia’s third-richest man (estimated personal net worth: $18 billion), was ousted from the helm of The Right Cause, his own June-launched political party. By week’s end, the scandal epitomized Russia’s centrally managed, sclerotic and brittle political system and the deteriorating political climate in which it heads into the 2012 elections.

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Russian–North Korean Naval Maneuvers Endanger Peace in Pacific

September 19, 2011

Ariel Cohen

The Heritage Foundation

Yesterday, the State Department released an official reaction to media reports on upcoming joint naval exercises between Russia and North Korea.The U.S. declared that “any engagement with the North Koreans should be conducted in a way that does not detract from the international community’s clear message of concern about the North’s weapons programs, and the necessity for Pyongyang to do what is necessary to return to the Six-Party talks.”

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Russia’s Arctic Claims: Neither LOST nor Forgotten

August 16, 2011

By Ariel Cohen and Anton Altman

The Heritage Foundation

The Arctic is becoming the “wild west” of the 21st century, and the Russians have been quick to claim a good part of it as their birthright. The Russian state is after 380,000 square miles of this final frontier, which may store an estimated one-quarter of the world’s untapped hydrocarbon reserves.

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Snowden Asylum Request: Another Blow to Obama’s Russia “Reset” Policy

August 11, 2011

Last Sunday, a Russian consular official confirmed that former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden asked for political asylum in Russia. Snowden’s defection, announced after a week in Moscow, may be not an impulsive act but a thoroughly pre-planned operation.

By Ariel Cohen

July 1, 201

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Russian Reset Malfunction

August 9, 2011

By Ariel Cohen

The Washington Times

The recent Russian threats to cease crucial cooperation with the United States and statements by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s special representative for missile defense cooperation with NATO, raised hackles in Washington. Mr. Putin called the United States a “parasite” on the body of the global economy, while Mr. Rogozin claimed that U.S. senators told him U.S. missile defense is aimed at his country.

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Russian Reset a Cold War Restart

August 8, 2011
By Ariel Cohen

The National Interest

Recent statements by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian president’s Special Representative for Missile-Defense Cooperation with NATO, raised hackles in Washington. Putin called the United States a “parasite” on the global economy, while Rogozin claimed that U.S. senators told him our missile defense is aimed at his country.

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Who Are the Real Cold War Monsters?

August 4, 2011

By Ariel Cohen & Michaela Bendikova

The Heritage Foundation

The recent statements by Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Missile Defense Cooperation with NATO, raised hackles in Washington.  Putin called the U.S. a “parasite” on the body of global economy, while Rogozin claimed that U.S. Senators told him U.S. missile defense is aimed at his country.

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U.S. Should Further Support in Azerbaijan

August 1, 2011

By Ariel Cohen and Robert Nicholson

The Washington Times

America has sacrificed a lot fighting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan - but we are not alone. The United States and our NATO allies are getting help from places many Americans can’t find on the map.

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