Simon Saradzhyan
Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Contact:
Telephone: 617-496-8228
Email: simon_saradzhyan@hks.harvard.edu
AP Photo/ Russian Interior Ministry Press Service
September 10, 2012
"Turncoats and Converts Make a Deadly Terrorist Mix"
Op-Ed, Power & Policy Blog
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Events of one August day in Russia's volatile republic of Dagestan have once again highlighted how turncoats can enhance terrorists' capabilities to carry out deadly attacks in the North Caucasus and other regions of Russia.
AP Photo
August 30, 2012
"In Russia, Putin is Tightening the Screws"
Op-Ed, Power & Policy Blog
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Half a year since Vladimir Putin’s election for a third presidential team, it is crystal clear that the expectations of a “Putin 2.0” raised by his aides during the campaign are plain unrealistic (unless, of course, “2” refers to the number of years that some of the more vocal critics of the Kremlin may have to spend in prison).
(AP Photo/RIA-Novosti)
August 10, 2012
"Putin vs. Medvedev on Georgia War in 2008"
Op-Ed, Power & Policy Blog
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Belfer Center Fellow Simon Saradzhyan offers an inside view of the Medvedev/Putin relationship and why Putin “had to come back to the Kremlin four years after stepping down and backing Medvedev to succeed him as Russia’s president.” Saradzhyan writes that this act may have been connected to Medvedev’s behavior or perceived behavior during the 2008 war in Georgia as noted in a YouTube clip showing three former high-ranking Russian commanders accusing Russia’s then Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev of indecisiveness during the initial stage of the 2008 war.
(U.S. Department of Defense)
June 24, 2012
"Vital Interdependence"
Op-Ed, Russia in Global Affairs
By Kevin Ryan, Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
In a recent op-ed published in Russia in Global Affairs the Belfer Center's Kevin Ryan and Simon Saradzhyan argue that at a time when deep U.S. defense budget cuts are underway, supporters of continued U.S. missile defense development should consider the potential for cutting costs that cooperation with Russia could offer.
June 11, 2012
"The Special Senate Committee on Anti-terrorism"
Testimony
By William H. Tobey, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom and Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
On June 11, 2012, the Belfer Center's William Tobey, Matthew Bunn and Simon Saradzhyan testified before Canada's upper house of parliament, the Senate, on the threat of nuclear terrorism and strategies to combat it.
AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service
April 26, 2012
"Global Insider: Russia-China Military Ties Growing Despite Friction"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, World Politics Review
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Russia and China launched their first joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea on Monday. In an email interview, Simon Saradzhyan, a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, discussed military cooperation between Russia and China.
AP Photo
April 2012
"The Dynamics of Russia’s Response to the Piracy Threat"
Journal Article, NATO Science for Peace and Security Studies, issue E: Human and Societal Dynamics, volume 95
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Russia’s Maritime Doctrine describes “maritime shipments” as being of “vital importance” to the country. Maritime shipments have accounted for 60 percent of Russia’s foreign trade shipments in the recent years. However, vessels bearing the Russian flag account only for 4 percent of Russia’s foreign trade shipments. And the Russian fishing fleet remains relatively near to Russia’s shores, not venturing into the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
AP Photo
March 9, 2012
"Putin Redux"
Op-Ed, International Relations and Security Network
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Nabi Abdullaev
Despite protests over alleged vote-rigging, Vladimir Putin is firmly on track to reclaim the Russian presidency in May. But while Putin is poised to return to the office he vacated in 2008, the country he plans to govern is no longer the same.
AP Photo
March 5, 2012
"Putin election victory doesn't pave an easy path through his third presidential term"
Op-Ed, Christian Science Monitor
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Nabi Abdullaev
There was little doubt that Vladimir Putin would be elected president of Russia on Sunday and return to the Kremlin for a third term. The Central Elections Committee announced on Monday that Mr. Putin won more than 60 percent of the vote and avoided a second round. But there is also little doubt that the legitimacy of his presidency will be contested during his third term, given the scale of recent protests against his return and strong criticism of the Sunday vote, which some of the opposition leaders and independent observers condemned as unfair and fraudulent.
AP Photo/Sedrak Mkrtchyan, PanARMENIAN
March 2012
"Armenia and China—Case for a Special Partnership"
Journal Article, Noravank Foundation, 21st Century Journal
By Simon Saradzhyan, Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
This article by Simon Saradzhyan takes stock of the Armenian-Chinese relations to discern whether Yerevan has been effective in its response to the ongoing rise of the Middle Kingdom as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this April.
