Executive Summary: Afghanistan, Iran, and Türkiye agreed on October 22 to jointly construct a railway between Afghanistan’s cities of Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif as a part of the Five Nations Railway Corridor (FNRC). The development of the FNRC—spanning the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,... MORE

Executive Summary: The October 10 meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin marked a cautious re-engagement following a period of tension in Azerbaijan–Russia relations. Baku reaffirmed its strategy of pragmatic, balanced diplomacy—engaging Moscow without compromising independence, reflecting growing confidence and the... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin has turned reconstruction activities in the occupied territories of Ukraine into a patronage system that enriches federal elites and loyal local governors. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin oversees a vast federal program that channels millions of dollars via opaque procurement and... MORE

Executive Summary: Amid ongoing protests in Tbilisi, the ruling Georgian Dream party has passed a legislative package under which protesters may face jail time for what the government describes as blocking roads or wearing face masks. In recent weeks, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs... MORE

Executive Summary: The failed attempt to organize a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest deepened tensions over the war against Ukraine, prompting renewed Russian nuclear posturing and strategic unease. Putin’s reliance on exaggerated battlefield “successes” and nuclear brinkmanship... MORE

Executive Summary: Only one percent of pupils in the Russian Federation are studying in a non-Russian language school, half as many as nine years ago, and far less than the share of Russian citizens whose primary language is not Russian. The decrease in schools teaching... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation, Rosatom, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have taken the most tangible step thus far in nuclear energy cooperation from the bilateral to the institutional level, with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding. The Kremlin... MORE

Executive Summary: Azerbaijan’s decision to allow commercial goods intended for Armenia to transit through its territory has been welcomed as the first major outcome following the August 8 meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders at the White House. The agreement on transit could not... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s draft 2026 budget cuts military spending by $2.4 billion compared to 2025 while boosting funding for state-run media by 54 percent, signaling a potential pivot toward intensified information warfare. The Kremlin’s informational tactics are tailored to domestic, Western, and Ukrainian audiences, seeking... MORE