Putin May Cripple the US’s Strongest Voice in Russia
Xi Jinping Boosts the Party’s Control and His Own Authority
Islamic State Khorasan Province Attack on Hazaras Endangers Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province
Kyrgyzstan Preparing for Constitutional Reform in Search for Stability
On January 11, the leader of Kyrgyzstan’s most recent revolution, Sadyr Zhaparov, won the presidency in what turned out to be a largely uncontested election. He obtained nearly 80 percent of all ballots cast, compared... MORE
Azerbaijan, Turkey Watching Armenia’s Political Crisis
Viewed from Baku and Ankara, the political conflict in Armenia pits military and civilian nationalists unreconciled to defeat in the Second Karabakh War (September 27–November 9, 2020) versus the armistice-accepting government of Nikol Pashinian. As... MORE
Moscow Prioritizes the Development of Hypersonic Weapons
Since Moscow’s entry into the civil war in Syria in September 2015, its experimentation with high-precision cruise missile strikes has served to boost this element of the Russian defense industry and to convince the political-military... MORE
Sochi Summit Contra the West’s Belarus Policies
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka landed in Sochi, Russia, on Friday, February 19, and left on Tuesday, February 23. His meeting with President Vladimir Putin occurred on Monday and lasted six hours, following a joint skiing... MORE
Russia’s New ‘Arctic Offensive’: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. On February 1, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree approving the launch of six large investment projects in the Arctic that are to be completed by... MORE
Moscow Expanding Diplomatic Contacts With Less Prominent Countries in Africa
Russia’s involvement in Africa over the last decade has attracted attention particularly when it has involved Moscow’s use of private military companies to support one or another side of civil conflicts there (see Jamestown.org, January... MORE
Protests in Georgia Increase Former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Influence
On March 1, European Council President Charles Michel met in Tbilisi with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Reportedly, the two sides were predominantly going to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as well... MORE
Lacking Alternatives, Russia Betting on Armenia’s Embattled Prime Minister Pashinian
The top brass of Armenia’s Armed Forces along with a broad coalition of political groups have moved to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his government from power, thus far nonviolently (see EDM, February 25,... MORE
Russia Tries to Counter US Moves in the Middle East, in Vain
As its relations with Europe deteriorate and partnership with China hits an apparent pause, Russia searches for new opportunities to restore its compromised global status. Moscow found quite a few such prospects in the Middle... MORE