Weekly Insights | June 6, 2025
Russia's statecraft in the Indo-Pacific, India's approach to deterrence, a first-person account of Russia's war in Ukraine, and more.
Russia’s Use of the Instruments of Statecraft in the Indo-Pacific
Alexander Korolev - Report
This report analyzes Russia’s use of diplomatic, military, and economic instruments of statecraft to advance its interests in the Indo-Pacific region and examines how China perceives it. Russia has utilized instruments of statecraft to maintain a two-level engagement pattern in the region—systemic balancing and regional hedging. This two-level engagement pattern does not undermine Russia’s systemic alignment with China, but it reduces Moscow’s dependence on Beijing and makes the regional aspects of China-Russia relations more complex.
India’s Evolved Convoluted Deterrence
Suyash Desai - Analysis
India has adopted a multidimensional approach to deterrence, anchored by resolute and punitive strikes designed to raise the costs of aggression for the perpetrators. India largely draws on the theory of extended deterrence to support its new approach.
Surviving Two Years in Russian Captivity
Rob Lee and Yevgeniy Malik - Chain Reaction
In this special two-part episode of Chain Reaction, Senior Fellow Rob Lee interviews Yevgeniy Malik, a squad leader in Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade. Malik fought in Mariupol at the beginning of the war and defended the Illich Iron and Steel Works. He spent more than two years in captivity in Russia as a prisoner of war. In Part 1, Yevgeniy explains what it was like to be a prisoner of war in Russian prisons, and what the thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war still face every day.
Please be advised that this episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners.
Upcoming Events
Russia’s Use of the Instruments of Statecraft in the Indo-Pacific - June 9
Author Alexander Korolev joins Michael Rouland and Bob Hamilton to discuss his new report, Russia’s Use of the Instruments of Statecraft in the Indo-Pacific: Systemic Balancing and Regional Hedging, the fourth installment of a five-part series examining Chinese and Russian influence and interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
The New Nuclear Age with Ankit Panda - June 24
Join the in-person reception and conversation with Ankit Panda, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss his recent book, The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon (Polity, 2025), and the changing landscape of nuclear security and strategy.
In the Press
📖 Trump is Letting Putin Win
Max Hess - Al Jazeera
📖 America is Lost Without Idealism
Robert D. Kaplan - UnHerd
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