Russia's Nuclear Industry in the Aftermath of the August 1998 Crisis: Implications for U.S.-Russian Relations

Over the last twelve months, the evolution of Russia's nuclear industry, including, above all, its stature, strategy and policies, has been shaped up by: a) continuously deteriorating economic situation; b) old and new high-priced projects falling under MINATOM jurisdiction; c) increased reliance on nuclear weapons as a reaction to the growing political tension between Russia and the West; and d) a new style of Ministry of Atomic Energy (MINATOM) leadership. The objective of this paper is to identify in specific terms the impact of these four variables in this sector and evaluate emerging MINATOM policy options as they may affect U.S.-Russian relations. In other words, this paper is an attempt to look into MINATOM's current and possibly future policy options mostly through the prism of U.S. national interests.