Biography

Carol R. Saivetz is a Senior Fellow in the MIT Security Studies Program. She is also a Research Associate at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. She holds an M.I.A., M.Phil., and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Political Science and a certificate from what is now the Harriman Institute at Columbia. Between 1995-2005, she was the Executive Director of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies and between 1992-2006 she was a Lecturer in Government at Harvard. She is currently teaching Russian Foreign Policy in the Political Science Department at MIT. Professor Saivetz has consulted for the U.S. Government on topics ranging from energy politics in the Caspian and Black Sea regions, questions of stability in Central Asia, to Russian policy toward Iran. She is the author and contributing co-editor of 5 books and numerous articles on Soviet and now Russian foreign policy issues, including Russian policies toward the other Soviet successor states, the many facets of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Russian policy toward Turkey, and current U.S.-Russian relations. Her current research project focuses on security in the Black Sea region and the impact of the war in Ukraine on Russia's policies towards the other post-Soviet states. She has also published opinion pieces on the Ukraine crisis, Russian intervention in Syria, and Russian approaches to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh for the Lawfare Blog (Brookings) and commented on events in Russia, Syria, and the Ukraine war for local radio and TV. She is the co-chair of the MIT seminar series “Focus on Eurasia,” sponsored by the MIT Security Studies Program, the Center for International Studies, and MIT-Eurasia.

[Teaching]

Publications|Selected Publications

"Russia's New Crises on the Periphery," Lawfare Blog, February 14, 2021.

"Russia Might  Regret the U.S. Drawdown in Syria," Lawfare Blog, April 14, 2019.

"Setting Expectations for the Helsinki Summit," Lawfare Blog, July 15, 2018.

"Frenemies: Putin and Erdogan," Lawfare Blog, March 4, 2018.

"What Does Putin Want from a  Bargain with Trump?" Lawfare Blog, February 5, 2017.

[Books]

Media

GHB Greater Boston, October 18, 2022, “Ukrainians are following the U.S. midterms closely.”

NECN, September 14, 2022, “Ukraine Gaining Ground Over Russian Troops.”

WGBH, September 12, 2022, “War in Ukraine ‘isn’t even close to over’ despite recent counteroffensive against Russia.”

NECN, July 25, 2022, “War in Ukraine Entering Sixth Month.”

WGBH, June 13, 2022, “Could Trump’s hostility toward NATO allies be a winning strategy at home?.”

New England Cable News, April 25, 2022, "Is Russia Failing in its Fight in Ukraine?"

New England Cable News, February 21, 2022, "On The Brink Of War: The Latest Between Russia and Ukraine"

New England Cable News, June 18, 2021, "What's Next After the Biden-Putin summit?"

Panelist, The Harriman Institute at Columbia University, April 14, 2021, "Russian Influence in the Middle East: A New Era?"

New England Cable News, March 23, 2021, "Biden Administration's Focus on Russia."

Meduza.io, November 21, 2020, "Is it Putin or is it Russia? The causes of today's bad vibes between Moscow and the West."

WGBH, November 19, 2019, "Vindman Testifies About Trump's Zelensky Call and Volker Revises His Testimony."

WGBH, July 1, 2019, "Trump's Whirlwind Weekend in Asia."

New England Cable News, June 26, 2019, "US-Russian Dynamic as Trump Prepares to Meet with Putin at G20."

New England Cable News, January 7, 2019, "Trump's Bizarre Claims About Russian Invasion of Afghanistan."

New England Cable News, July 17, 2018, "Trump Faces Criticism For Comments After Putin Meeting."

WGBH, July 13, 2018, "Could Trump's Hostility Toward NATO Allies Be A Winning Strategy At Home?"

WGBH, June 12, 2018, "North Korea Summit Heavy on Promises, Light on Detail."

WGBH, April 9, 2018, "Chemical Weapons In Syria And A New National Advisor."

WGBH, March 7, 2018, "Is North Korea Really Willing to Talk Denuclearization?"

WGBH, October 2, 2017, with Peter Krause, "Hours after NYC Terror Attack, Political Blame Game Erupts."

New England Cable News, October 30, 2017, "3 Former Trump Campaign Officials Charged."

WGBH, September 26, 2017, "North Korea Standoff."

New England Cable News, July 12, 2017, "What Did Trump and Putin Accomplish?"

WGBH, July 5, 2017, "North Korea Threat."

New England Cable News, May 16, 2017, "The Trump/Russia Enigma."

WGBH, April 13, 2017, "Trump's Evolving Foreign Policy."

New England Cable News, April 12, 2017, "Playing the Russia Card."

WGBH, April 5, 2017, "Crisis in Syria."

New England Cable News, April 14, 2016, "Is Putin Asking For Trouble?"

[News]