Mar 19,2020 Special Forum

Putin and Xi Eye the Soviet Collapse

When commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in the months ahead, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will find it difficult to recapture the spirit exhibited in 2015 when they stood together in Red Square and then in Tiananmen to proclaim shared support for a world order they insisted was established […]

Sergey Radchenko

"Belt and Road" Initiative , Cold War , COVID-19 , European Economic Union , Socialism with Chinese Characteristics , Vladmir Putin , WWII , Xi Jinping

Oct 11,2018 Open Forum

As China and Russia Draw Closer, Mongolia Feels the Squeeze

In September 2018 Russia carried out the largest military exercise since the height of the Cold War.1 Vostok-2018, held in Siberia, drew considerable attention in the Western media, not just because of the sheer scale of the event (declared as involving 300,000 troops and thousands of tanks and airplanes) but also because China sent an […]

Sergey Radchenko

BRI , EEF , EEU , Khaltmaa “Genco” Battulga , SCO , third neighbor policy , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping

Aug 22,2017 Open Forum

Mongolia’s Shrinking Foreign Policy Space

More than a quarter of a century has passed since Mongolia broke free of Soviet tutelage and set out to chart an independent course in foreign policy. Given the country’s staggering geopolitical handicap—the inescapable embrace of Russia to the north and China to the south—Mongolia has done remarkably well. Playing China against Russia and the […]

Sergey Radchenko

Dalai Lama , Khaltmaagiin Battulga , Miegombyn Enkhbold , OBOR , resource nationalism , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping

Dec 23,2015 Special Forum

Mongolia Hangs in the Balance: Political Choices and Economic Realities

Year 2015 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Mongolia’s democratic revolution. Ever since it escaped the protective embrace of its northern neighbor, Mongolia maintained an astute foreign policy, pursuing positive dialogues with China and Russia and also reaching out to its so-called collective “third neighbor,” usually understood to be Western countries plus Japan. The election of […]

Sergey Radchenko

Economic Relations , Good Neighbor policy , Khalkin Gol Battle of 1939 , Neutrality , Regionalism , third neighbor policy

Aug 27,2015 Alternative Scenarios

Negative Scenario II: This Triangle Will Not Take Shape

The argument in favor of a “Sino-Russian-North Korean” triangle in Northeast Asia rests on the notion that Beijing and Moscow need North Korea for reasons that outweigh their broader political and economic interests and that North Korea has no choice but to go along with the triangular arrangement, because the alternative would be complete isolation, […]

Sergey Radchenko

Cold War , Iran nuclear deal , Regionalism , Six-Party Talks

Jul 13,2015 Alternative Scenarios

Negative Scenario I: This Triangle Will Not Take Shape

The argument for a China-Russia-DPRK triangle in Northeast Asia hinges on the idea that these three countries are willing to coordinate their actions on the international stage, adopt similar positions on key regional questions, and develop trilateral cooperation in economic or military spheres. I argue below that at present, there is little evidence of such […]

Sergey Radchenko

Maritime Economic Belt , Silk Road Economic Belt

Aug 12,2014 Topics of the Month

Multilateralism in Northeast Asia – 3

One of the main difficulties in my discussion of Russian foreign policy in Asia—indirectly alluded to in Elizabeth Wishnick’s comments—is a sense of uncertainty about Russia’s direction. While my analysis registers the undeniable closing of ranks between Beijing and Moscow, I fall short of proclaiming the death of multilateralism and highlight sources of tension between […]

Sergey Radchenko

Alliance , colored revolutions , polarization , Vladimir Putin , Xi Jinping

Jul 11,2014 Topics of the Month

Multilateralism in Northeast Asia – 2

No one has profited more from the decline of multilateralism in East Asia than North Korea. Russia’s international isolation and China’s simmering confrontation with Japan over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands have given Kim Jong-un much greater breathing space than his father and grandfather had had at any time since the late 1980s. In recent weeks […]

Sergey Radchenko

Central Asia , color revolutions , Eurasian Union vs. new silk road , islands to Japan , polarization vs. multilateralism , Putin-Xi summit , ROK promise to Russia , unequal trade

May 23,2014 Topics of the Month

Multilateralism in Northeast Asia – 1

In Northeast Asia the search for multilateralism has taken an abrupt turn. In the 2000s the Six-Party Talks gave hope that North Korea would bring five other states together, tying security and economic multilateralism together and offering the default position of five plus one to keep pressure on the North and keep common interests in […]

Sergey Radchenko

Central Asia , civilizational debates , comrades , natural resource appendage , polarization , Sino-Soviet rapprochement , strategic allies , Ukraine

Nov 22,2013 Special Forum

Sino-Russian Competition in Mongolia

In recent years China and Russia have presented a solid façade of “strategic partnership,” with leaders emphasizing complementarity of national interests and common approaches to many international problems as reasons they work hand-in-hand. Beijing and Moscow have dismissed suggestions that their relationship is, in fact, plagued by hidden tensions as Western fabrications. Yet, there must […]

Sergey Radchenko

Commercial competition , Elbegdorj , Enkhbayar , indirect undercutting , mining , third neighbor policy , trans-Mongolian railroad