RUSSIA
AP Photo
March 14, 2008
The Transfer of Power in Russia
Memorandum
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
Though the outcome of the presidential election in Russia was a foregone conclusion, many questions remain about when and how which powers will be transferred from whom to whom. Also included below are speculations from Russian colleagues about what the new administration and cabinet may look like.
Belfer Center
Spring 2008
"Iceland's Minister Cites Climate's Impact on International Security"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
By Susan M. Lynch, Program Assistant, International Security Program; Web Manager, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program
"The interests of the High North, both locally and globally, are a trans-Atlantic issue that can only be dealt with as part of a strong and realistic security policy and maritime strategy on the part of NATO," concluded Icelandic Minister of Justice Bjorn Bjarnason at an International Security Program–sponsored lecture last fall. While the Cold War's end saw the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iceland, climate change has reconfigured the security, economic, and geopolitical profile of the Arctic with Iceland retaining its geo-strategic importance.
AP Photo
December 19, 2007
Putin Deserves Credit for Russia's Resurgence
Media Feature
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Time magazine has named Russian President Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year for 2007. Belfer Center experts Graham Allison and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan weigh in on his selection.
Winter 2007-2008
"Spotlight: Steven E. Miller"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
Steven E. Miller is the director of the Belfer Center's International Security Program and editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal International Security.
Winter 2007-2008
"Notable Quotes"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
Quotes on Newsmakers Page
November 26, 2007
"Climate Change and Iceland's Role in North Atlantic Security"
Presentation
Björn Bjarnason is Minister of Justice for the Republic of Iceland, and a number of his responsibilities relate to domestic and external security — analogous to those of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His lecture addressed security issues relating to maritime activity in the North Atlantic and the changing profile of these maritime security issues due to climate change and the increased exploitation of oil and gas in the Arctic.
November 14, 2007
Global Forecast: The Top Security Challenges of 2008
Report
By Carola McGiffert and Craig Cohen
This volume of essays showcases CSIS's collective wisdom on the most important security issues facing America in 2008—the major political, military, and economic challenges likely to have strategic implications for the nation. Some of these challenges depend on political developments in other countries, while others hinge on U.S. actions. Some are regional in focus; others have transnational or global reach. All have the potential to expand into full-scale crises and must be watched and managed carefully.
November 2007
"Energy Supply and Demand in Eurasia: Cooperation between EU and Iran"
Journal Article, China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, issue 4, volume 5
By Abbas Maleki, Former Senior Research Associate, International Security Program
Energy diversification has emerged as one of the most important priorities for a majority of the European countries and the EU. Growing energy demand in Europe combined with a high reliance on Russia as an energy producer have led the EU to look to the Caspian Sea region for alternative energy resources, especially in natural gas. Iran has the 2nd largest natural gas reserves in the world and could assist Europe in diversifying supplies. This article argues that there is substantial potential for energy cooperation between Iran and the European countries, particularly Turkey. Increased Iranian participation in the Eurasian energy market, both as consumer and producer, could lead to other benefits including economic development and more efficient energy extraction.
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/
September 26, 2007
"Thwarting Terrorists: More to Be Done"
Op-Ed, Washington Post
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment (ERD3) Policy Project
"...much progress has been made toward upgrading security for nuclear stockpiles. The bad news is that the essential ingredients of nuclear weapons exist in hundreds of buildings in more than 40 countries, and terrorists are actively trying to get a nuclear bomb or the materials to make one."
September 2007
Book Review: Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865-1923
Journal Article, Far Eastern Economic Review
By Susan Sypko, Former Research Assistant to Graham Allison, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Book Review: Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865-1923 by Jeff Sahadeo
As American forces struggle to bring democracy to Iraq after a "quick military victory," historian Jeff Sahadeo's tale of Russian colonialism sounds eerily familiar. It took the Russian Imperial Army only two days to defeat Central Asian defenders of Tashkent in 1865. Mr. Sahadeo's page-turning account of what happened afterward, howerver, reveals that there was nothing straightforward or simple about imperial Russia's "civilizing mission" in Central Asia.
