Sergey Alexandrovich Karaganov (born 10 September 1952 in Moscow) is a Russian political scientist who currently serves as president emeritus of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, a security analytical institution founded by Vitaly Shlykov. He is also the dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics.
Karaganov was a close associate of Yevgeny Primakov, and has been Presidential Advisor to both Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin. He is considered close to Putin and Sergey Lavrov.
Karaganov has been calling for a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Europe as a path to a better world. His widely noted article has been published in English (a copy of the article is also on this site), along with reactions from other politicians and scholars on the site Russia in Global Affairs.
Reading his article I am shocked, amazed and bewildered about the level of irresponsibility, the lack of connection with reality and the disconnection levels reached by this man. The article is full of the usual Russian propaganda topics. Yet this op-ed article – written all the more by a man with connections to Putin and Lavrov – takes the idea of a winnable nuclear war to another leve.
Even if there were negative reactions within Russia to his proposal, by writing this article Karaganov takes out a red line of morality. Making the use of nuclear weapons a matter of opinion.
Vlad Vexler speaks about this on his YT vlog
Responding to Karaganov: I finally snap over Russia’s Blackmail
Previoulsy: Is Putin a Rational Nuclear Actor? – KEY ISSUES around nuclear rationality
Here is an op-ed article in the Washington post in response: Putin’s Nuclear Scare Tactics Will Fall Flat
Here is a YT short from Mr. Rosenberg, Moscow correspondent of the BBC:
