Center on Global Interests

Nikolai Zlobin, CGI's founder and president, is a Russian-American political expert, author and journalist who served as an adviser to Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1990s.{{cite web |url=http://valdaiclub.com/authors/22274.html |title=ZLOBIN, Nikolai |accessdate=October 7, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011230648/http://valdaiclub.com/authors/22274.html |archivedate=October 11, 2014 }} While acknowledging the difficulties of opening a new think tank in an already saturated environment, Zlobin said his goal was to create an organization that would "go beyond Cold-War thinking" to provide a strategic, long-term vision for U.S.-Russian relations.{{Cite web|title = A new U.S.-Russia think tank launched for 'fresh vision'|url = http://rbth.com/international/2013/03/18/a_new_us-russia_think_tank_launched_for_fresh_vision_23989.html|website = rbth.com|date = March 18, 2013|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} The organization's board is chaired by Bruce Blair, an American nuclear analyst and scholar. Both were formerly with the World Security Institute (WSI). Blair, the recipient of a MacArthur "genius grant" for his work on nuclear nonproliferation, is also co-founder of Global Zero, an international initiative launched in December 2008 to promote the elimination of nuclear weapons.{{Cite web |url=http://www.globalzero.org/our-movement/leaders/dr-bruce-blair |title=Dr. Bruce Blair | Global Zero |access-date=October 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102124047/http://www.globalzero.org/our-movement/leaders/dr-bruce-blair |archive-date=November 2, 2013 |url-status=dead }}

The Center on Global Interests focuses on long-term strategic analysis of the U.S.-Russia relationship and the system of global governance as a whole. Its program areas explore Russian domestic politics, the Russia-West relationship, and Russia's relations with major global powers (such as China) and within international organizations (such as the BRICS and the G20).{{Cite web|url=http://globalinterests.org/category/programs/|title=Programs|language=en-US|access-date=July 7, 2016}}

CGI distributes a daily news digest, the Daily Russia Brief, with news from Russia and Eurasia.{{Cite web|url=http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=58302957030514c7235a5b1a1&id=814a2b3260|title=CGI Daily Russia Brief|website=us8.campaign-archive1.com|access-date=July 7, 2016}}

CGI recruits outside scholars and former government officials to produce its reports. In 2013, CGI met with top U.S. and Russian officials to produce a set of recommendations for the Russian presidency of the G20, focusing on Russia's responsibilities and opportunities as the host, as well as on the effectiveness of the G20 as a global institution. The resulting report was co-authored by Mark Medish, former Russia director at the National Security Council and president of Guggenheim International {{Cite web|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/?fa=288|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702170653/http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/?fa=288|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 2, 2013|title = Mark Medish}} and Daniel Lucich, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. It was distributed to officials in Washington and Moscow [https://web.archive.org/web/20131101223054/http://www.globalinterests.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Toward-the-St.-Petersburg-G20-Summit_Russias-Turn-to-Steer-the-Group-of-Twenty.pdf].{{Cite web|url=http://rbth.ru/international/2013/05/27/how_can_russia_best_use_its_g20_presidency_26395.html|title=How can Russia best use its G20 presidency?|date=May 27, 2013}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalaffairs.ru/event/Doklad-V-preddverii-Sankt-Peterburgskogo-Sammita-Bolshoi-dvadtcatki-vremya-Rossii-zadavat-kurs-15981|title = Доклад "В преддверии Санкт-Петербургского Саммита "Большой двадцатки": время России задавать курс"}}

Following Russia's expulsion from the G8 over its annexation of Crimea in March 2014, CGI published a report titled "Back to the G7: Russia's Expulsion from the Group of Eight and the End of the Post-Cold War World."{{Cite web|title = Back To The G7: Russia's Expulsion From The G8 And The End Of The Post-Cold War World|url = http://globalinterests.org/2014/06/07/back-to-the-g7-russias-expulsion-from-the-g8-and-the-end-of-the-post-cold-war-world/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} In it, the author argued that Russia's failure to integrate into the G8 set the stage for its eventual departure, marking the end of the rapprochement between Russia and the West that had characterized the previous 25 years.

In March 2015 CGI published a report assessing Vladimir Putin's third term as president of Russia{{Cite web|title = Putin's Third Term: Assessments Amid Crisis|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/03/12/putins-third-term-assessments-amid-crisis/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} co-authored by three prominent experts: Richard Sakwa, Mark Galeotti and Harley Balzer of Georgetown University. Writing separately on the topics of politics, economics, and security, the authors concluded that Russia had entered a stage of "developed Putinism" in which the domestic system was solidified enough to sustain short-term crises but risked falling into long-term stagnation.

In advance of the July 2016 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Warsaw, CGI published a report assessing the capabilities of the Russian military and its potential threat to Western countries. The authors of the report, Michael Kofman and Alexander Golts, argued that Russia's military reforms since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War had resulted in a significantly stronger army, but that it remained focused on conventional warfare (as opposed to "Hybrid warfare") and had still not completed its transition to becoming a high-readiness force.{{Cite web|url=http://globalinterests.org/2016/06/24/russias-military-assessment-strategy-and-threat-2/|title=Russia's Military: Assessment, Strategy, and Threat|date=June 24, 2016|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=July 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305135804/http://globalinterests.org/2016/06/24/russias-military-assessment-strategy-and-threat-2/|archive-date=March 5, 2017|url-status=dead}}

The Center organizes monthly panel discussions that are open to the general public. It has previously partnered with the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the George Washington University's Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) to host events.

Past events include:

• "Russia's Military: Assessment, Strategy, and Threat" with military analyst Michael Kofman.{{Cite web|url=http://globalinterests.org/2016/06/23/russias-military-assessment-strategy-and-threat/|title=Russia's Military: Assessment, Strategy, and Threat|date=June 23, 2016|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=July 7, 2016}}
• "Russia Policy for the Next U.S. Administration" with former Director of Russia Affairs at the United States National Security Council Thomas Graham (April 2016).{{Cite web|url=http://globalinterests.org/2016/04/14/the-next-era-of-u-s-russia-relations/|title=Russia Policy for the Next U.S. Administration|date=April 14, 2016|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=July 7, 2016}}
• "The U.S., Russia, and the New Middle East Disorder" held at the National Press Club (February 2016).{{Cite web|url=http://globalinterests.org/2016/02/02/the-u-s-russia-and-the-new-middle-east-disorder/|title=The U.S., Russia, and the New Middle East Disorder|date=February 2, 2016|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=July 7, 2016}}
• "Iran Nuclear Deal: Stability or Threat?" moderated by James Fallows, Senior National Correspondent for The Atlantic.{{Cite web|title = Iran Nuclear Deal: Stability or Threat? with James Fallows|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/09/05/iran-nuclear-deal-stability-or-threat-with-james-fallows/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}{{Cite web|title = What the Iran Deal Is Likely to Mean, Now That It Is Likely to Take Effect|url = https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/09/a-more-interesting-than-usual-panel-on-the-iran-deal/404035/|website = The Atlantic|date = September 6, 2015|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}
• "Russia 2015: Economic Outlook" with Russia/Ukraine expert Anders Åslund and Russia's former Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Aleksashenko.{{Cite web|title = Russia 2015: Economic Outlook|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/01/28/russia-2015-economic-outlook/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}
• "Russia and Its Northern Neighbors: Young Leaders on the Future of Baltic Security."{{Cite web|title = Russia and its Northern Neighbors: Young Leaders on the Future of Baltic Security|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/06/16/russia-and-its-northern-neighbors-young-leaders-on-the-future-of-baltic-security/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}
• "Working with Russia: Lessons and Best Practices for Times of Conflict" with Suzanne Massie, former Russia adviser to U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
• "Scripts of Sovereignty: The Freezing of the Russia-Ukraine Crisis and Problems of Governance in Eurasia" with Alexander Cooley, Director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University.{{Cite web|title = Report Launch: Scripts of Sovereignty|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/01/29/scripts-of-sovereignty-the-freezing-of-the-russia-ukraine-crisis-and-dilemmas-of-governance-in-eurasia/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}
• "Russia Today: Evaluating the Media Environment in 2015" with David Satter, the first Western journalist to be expelled from Russia since the end of the Cold War.{{Cite web|title = Russia Today: Evaluating the Media Environment in 2015|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/04/03/russia-today-evaluating-the-media-environment-in-2015/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}
• "Turkey-Russia Conflict: What's Next?" with Kemal Kirisci of the Brookings Institution and Anya Schmemann of the Council on Foreign Relations.{{Cite web|title = Turkey-Russia Conflict: What's Next?|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/12/17/turkey-russia-conflict-whats-next-2/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}

CGI has hosted discussions with a number of prominent Russian figures and opposition leaders, including Ilya Ponomarev,{{Cite web|title = Luncheon with Russian Member of Parliament Ilya Ponomarev|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/01/20/luncheon-with-russian-member-of-parliament-illya-ponomarev/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} the writer Dmitry Bykov,{{Cite web|title = Russia In The American Novel|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/06/11/russia-in-the-american-novel/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} Ilya Yashin,{{Cite web|title = "Putin. War:" The Making of the Nemtsov Report|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/06/02/putin-war-the-making-of-the-nemtsov-report/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} and the Editor-in-Chief of the independent radio station Echo of Moscow, Alexei Venediktov.{{Cite web|title = View from Russia: A Conversation with Alexey Venediktov, Echo of Moscow Editor-In-Chief|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/07/02/view-from-russia-a-conversation-with-alexey-venediktov-echo-of-moscow-editor-in-chief/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}} CGI also worked with the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington to host Mark Feygin, the Russian defense attorney who represented Pussy Riot and Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko.{{Cite web|title = Political Prisoners In Putin's Russia with Defense Attorney Mark Feygin|url = http://globalinterests.org/2015/04/18/political-prisoners-in-putins-russia/|website = Center on Global Interests|accessdate = January 7, 2016}}

CGI's Rising Experts Program is a competitive year-long program that brings together advanced students and young professionals for meetings with established experts in Washington, D.C. to discuss topics concerning Eurasia, foreign policy, and global security.{{cite web|title=CGI Rising Experts Program|url=http://globalinterests.org/2015/07/31/call-for-applicants-2015-2016-rising-experts-program/|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=January 7, 2016}}

CGI's mission statement is "to bring new, unconventional thinking on global affairs, fresh analysis on relations between modern world powers, particularly the United States and Russia, and critically evaluate current global challenges." According to its website, CGI does not accept government funding from the United States or abroad,{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://globalinterests.org/about/|website=Center on Global Interests|access-date=January 7, 2016|language=en-US}} and does not represent the interests of the Russian government or other Russian entities.{{cite web|title=New Ad Accuses Israeli Lefties of Treason|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/195992/israeli-left-and-treason|website=Tablet Magazine|date=December 18, 2015|access-date=January 8, 2016}}

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Category:Russian studies

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