For a president-elect who touts ‘America first,’ Russian hacking poses a problem

Presidents often are tested early, by unexpected crises or provocations by foreign adversaries. President-elect Donald Trump’s first test has come even before he is sworn in, and so far, he has responded with denial, equivocation and deflection. The test has come over Russia’s brazen intrusion into the U.S. election process […] Read more »

Trump Voters Expect Drastic Change and Jobs. Unity? Not so Much

As the professional political class continues to debate the reasons for Donald Trump’s victory, those who voted for him are very clear on why he won and what they expect from him once he’s in office. This was a vote for “drastic change”. They don’t want Trump to act more […] Read more »

All Of A Sudden, Russia Has Become A Partisan Issue

Donald Trump likes Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he doesn’t try to hide it. History suggests that his affection for the country could have a significant effect on public opinion. Over the past several presidencies, American opinion about Russia has changed rapidly based on how presidents have treated […] Read more »

How Vladimir Putin Became the Oracle of the East

Immediately following the annexation of Crimea and the tragedy of flight MH17, the West largely regarded Vladimir Putin as a dangerous international pariah. But two years later, following the sweeping success of demagogues world-wide, Putin has emerged as a new oracle of the East, leading the charge for the new […] Read more »

The Kremlin blamed our work when it declared Russia’s most respected polling firm a ‘foreign agent.’

On Sept. 5, Russia’s Justice Ministry declared the country’s leading independent polling organization, the Levada Analytical Center, to be a “foreign agent.” … The Levada Center has generated a remarkable trove of information about Russia’s society, politics, and economy over the past quarter century. Its high-quality work inspired us to […] Read more »