Contemporary Russian Approaches to Deterrence
Date: April 2nd, 2020 at 14:00 CEST / 08:00 EST Platform: Zoom Webinar
Presentation Summary
For reasons rooted in strategic culture, history, military practice, and language, the concept of deterrence in Western military strategy does not have a precise Russian equivalent.
The Russian concept of sderzhivanie—the most common translation of deterrence into Russian—is far broader than the English term. Understanding Russia’s actions through this conceptual lens can help make sense of Moscow’s recent behavior. However, the flaws in the Russian concept and the mismatch with Western notions of deterrence are major destabilizing factors in the broader political-military relationship between Russia and the West.
About the Presenter
Samuel Charap, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Political Scientist Affiliation: RAND Corporation
Samuel Charap specializes in the political economy and foreign policies of Russia and former Soviet states, European and Eurasian regional security, and U.S.-Russia deterrence, strategic stability, and arms control.
From 2012 to 2017, Charap was the senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He previously served as senior advisor to the undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State and as director for Russia and Eurasia at the Center for American Progress.
Charap holds a Ph.D. in political science and an M.Phil. in Russian and East European studies from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar. He received his B.A. in Russian and political science from Amherst College.