Russia Reports (Volume 1) - Putin, Politics and Government, Democracy, Obama Administration Policy Reset, Human Rights Abuses, Jackson-Vanik, U.S. Bilateral Commission, Realism about Russia

Seven reports, studies, and documents provide special insight into Russia, with detailed discussions of vital topics which are of particular interest during the ongoing crisis involving Russian aggression against Crimea and the Ukraine. Reports in this compendium: The State of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Russia: U.S. Policy Options * U.S. - Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission 2013 Joint Report * Resetting the Reset Button: Realism About Russia * A Relic of the Cold War: Is It Time to Repeal Jackson-Vanik for Russia? * From Competition to Collaboration: Strengthening the U.S.-Russia Relationship * The Reset Button has been Pushed: Kicking Off a New Era in U.S.-Russian Relations * Russia - Democracy Assessment: Political Process, Local Governance, and Civil Society, Final Report

The State of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Russia: U.S. Policy Options - Testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about consideration of the Magnitsky Act. Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer who exposed government corruption and who died under questionable circumstances during his detention. The legislation, named in his honor, blacklists any Russian believed to be responsible for major human rights violations from receiving a visa to travel to the United States. The measure also subjects these individuals to a possible freezing of their assets.

U.S. - Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission 2013 Joint Report - This report outlines the results of the commission with 21 working groups including military technical cooperation, nuclear energy, science and technology, space, education, culture, environment, health, and others.

Resetting the Reset Button: Realism About Russia - Strategic Studies Institute's Dr. Blank ponders the role of Russia in the Iranian nuclear proliferation crisis. He notes, "Russia's call for a new European security architecture is a transparent call to erode the foundations of the current status quo, in particular NATO and the OSCE while leaving it a free hand to do as it pleases in the CIS."

A Relic of the Cold War: Is It Time to Repeal Jackson-Vanik for Russia? - House hearings discussed the Obama Administration's "reset" of relations with Russia.

From Competition to Collaboration: Strengthening the U.S.-Russia Relationship - Testimony at a hearing before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs about American bilateral relations with Russia. One important question concerns Russia's perception of its vital interests, particularly its engagement with its near abroad.

The Reset Button has been Pushed: Kicking Off a New Era in U.S.-Russian Relations - House Subcommittee on Europe testimony on President Obama's Moscow summit and the administration's effort to reset relations between the United States and Russia.

Russia - Democracy Assessment: Political Process, Local Governance, and Civil Society, Final Report - The purpose of this report is to support USAID/Russia's effort to draft its country program democracy strategy. The Mission's Office of Democratic Initiatives is organized into subsector teams that are responsible for civil society, political process, independent media, rule of law, and local governance. As part of the country strategy development process, USAID has commissioned an assessment of each of these five subsectors. This report provides USAID/Russia with an assessment of three program areas within the agency's democracy portfolio: political processes, civil society development, and local governance.