Friday, April 22, 2022

Carnegie Forced to Close its Moscow Center

After 28 years, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was forced to close its Moscow Center at the direction of the Russian government, according to the think tank.  Here is more from a Carnegie statement:

“We regret the Russian government’s decision to close our Moscow center and believe this step will only deepen Russia’s international isolation,” said Tino CuĂ©llar, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The Carnegie Endowment was the first independent think tank to open in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and since then consistently set the standard for objective policy analysis in Russia. As an institution dedicated to advancing international cooperation and peace through independent analysis and innovative strategic thinking, we remain true to our principles and steadfast in our commitment to the mission we’ve had for more than a century. Our worldwide network of scholars, including leading experts from Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union, will continue to tackle the urgent issues facing this region and the world.”

 

The Moscow Times notes that the Russian government shuttered the think tank after claiming that they had "discovered violations of Russian legislation," but didn't provide further details.

Besides its Washington, DC headquarters and Moscow Center, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace also has Carnegie Europe (in Brussels), Carnegie India (in New Delhi), Carnegie China, and the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle Easter Center (in Lebanon).