Articles
Michael O. Slobodchikoff’s research focuses on international relations, with particular emphasis on Russian foreign policy, alliance politics, treaty networks, and great power competition. His work examines how institutions and strategic signaling shape conflict and cooperation in the contemporary international system. Below is a curated selection of representative peer-reviewed articles, with links for direct access.
Selected Articles on Russian Foreign Policy, Alliances, and Global Security
Maskirovka and the Olympics: The Russian Choice to Initiate Conflict During the Olympic Games
PRISM: The Journal of Complex Operations (2026)
🔗 https://irregularwarfarecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-VOL11-NO2-PRISM.pdf
This article analyzes Russia’s use of deception (maskirovka) in conjunction with high-visibility global events such as the Olympics. It argues that international spectacles provide strategic cover for geopolitical action, highlighting how timing, signaling, and perception are used to shape outcomes in great power competition.
Great-Power Competition and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (2022)
🔗 https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/
This article situates the Russian invasion of Ukraine within the broader return of great power competition. It demonstrates how Russia’s actions reflect long-term strategic positioning, emphasizing structural rivalry, deterrence failure, and shifting global power dynamics.
The Impact of Russian-Led Eurasian Integration on the International Relations of the Post-Soviet Space
Europe-Asia Studies (2021)
🔗 https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ceas20/current
This article examines how Russian-led integration efforts reshape political and economic relationships across the post-Soviet region. It highlights how institutional frameworks can be used to consolidate influence and structure regional order.
Building Trust: Cooperation Between Rivals India and Pakistan
The Round Table: Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs (2019)
🔗 https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ctrt20/current
Focusing on enduring rivalry, this article explores how institutional mechanisms enable cooperation between adversaries. It demonstrates how repeated interaction and structured agreements can reduce mistrust and facilitate limited cooperation.
Shifting Alliances and Balance of Power in Asia: Transitions in the Indo-Russian Security Ties
Asian Journal of Political Science (2017)
🔗 https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rasi20/current
This article analyzes evolving Indo-Russian relations within the broader context of shifting power balances in Asia. It highlights how states adapt alliance behavior in response to changing geopolitical environments.
Challenging U.S. Hegemony: The Ukrainian Crisis and Russian Regional Order
The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review (2017)
🔗 https://brill.com/view/journals/spsr/spsr-overview.xml
This article interprets the Ukraine crisis as part of a broader Russian effort to challenge U.S. influence and reshape regional order. It emphasizes institutional leverage and strategic signaling as key tools of competition.
Order and Disorder across Geopolitical Space: The Effect of Declining Dominance on Interstate Conflict
Journal of International Relations and Development (2015)
🔗 https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41268
This article develops a theoretical framework explaining how declining global dominance contributes to instability and conflict. It provides insight into how shifting power distributions influence patterns of interstate violence.
Mistrust and Hegemony: Regional Institutional Design, the FSU-CIS, and Russia
International Area Studies Review (2015)
🔗 https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ias
This article examines how Russia designs regional institutions to manage mistrust while maintaining influence in the post-Soviet space. It introduces a framework for understanding institutional power in asymmetric relationships.
Additional Publications
Additional peer-reviewed work appears in:
American Intelligence Journal
Strategic Horizons
Comparative Politics Russia Journal
Studies of Changing Societies
Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe
A full list of publications is available in the CV.
Research Areas
Russian foreign policy • Great power competition • Alliance politics • Treaty networks • NATO • Ukraine war • Eurasian integration • International institutions • Conflict and cooperation • Indo-Pacific security • U.S.–Russia relations