Hello! Our weekly newsletter is taking a little break until next week. But don’t worry: To make sure you don’t miss anything, we’ve put together a summer reading list with some of the most interesting current articles on the Russian economy, the situation on the front lines, and Moscow’s relationship with one of its closest friends on the world stage. Our editors also recommend two books on Russian history that you might want to read.
Articles and reports
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) has published a detailed analytical report on Russian-Iranian relations. Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened significantly following the invasion of Ukraine and now extend beyond simple categorization as a business relationship or military partnership, the report’s authors conclude.
Dara Massicot, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Berlin Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies discussed How Russia’s labor shortage and poor demographic situation are affecting the military and changing its approach to recruiting new soldiers.
In an article for Foreign Policy, Sweden’s former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt writes wrote that the Ukrainian counter-invasion in the Kursk region of western Russia already represents a turning point in the conflict.
Russia’s Central Bank published a detailed English-language report on the handling of recent economic crises, starting with the 2008-2009 global recession. In particular, it discusses the lessons the regulator learned from the 2022 crisis (triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent imposition of Western sanctions). It explains the importance of introducing capital controls and limiting the financial sector’s dependence on foreign infrastructure. It says that these steps made it possible to mitigate the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy.
Former US Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University Condoleezza Rice wrote about the dangers of isolationism and how Vladimir Putin is reviving a new Russian empire.
Books
In Ruling the World: The Kremlin’s Attempt to Gain Global Power During the Cold War Historian and Johns Hopkins University professor Sergei Radchenko analyzes the psychology and decisions of the Soviet leadership as it tried for decades to expand its influence around the world.
In Farewell to Russia: A personal reckoning from the ruins of warBBC journalist Sarah Rainsford, who reported from Russia for two decades at several stations before being expelled, gives a first-hand account of the country’s modern history – from the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s to the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
