Executive Summary: The ruling Georgian Dream party won an overwhelming victory in Georgia’s October 4 municipal elections, capturing all 64 mayoral seats amid an opposition boycott, low voter turnout, and minimal international monitoring presence. Critics allege the elections were manipulated to fabricate a competitive image... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s 2022 invasion triggered a surge in Ukraine’s defense sector, experiencing a 350 percent growth since 2022. Ukraine leads globally in tactical and long-range drones, aiming to become the world’s “drone capital.” Upcoming artificial intelligence (AI)-driven swarms are anticipated to replace one-operator systems,... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to unveil Russia’s revised Arctic strategy, which reflects the country’s evolving security, economic, and development priorities, as well as the inadequacy of the current 2020 policy. Russian officials have been using the buzzword “development” or “exploration” at... MORE

Executive Summary: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his annual address to the nation on September 8, announced sweeping reforms, including digitalization and the creation of a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to modernize governance and boost efficiency. The new “Digital Qazaqstan” strategy aims to unify... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia has become increasingly dependent on trade with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with more than a third of Russia’s total trade turnover being generated by the PRC. The recent memorandum on the development... MORE

Executive Summary: Moscow is expanding its efforts to use Buddhists within the Russian Federation to expand its influence in Buddhist countries abroad, despite facing growing problems among its own Buddhist population due to its divided response to the war against Ukraine. While it can still... MORE

Executive Summary: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on August 19, met with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk following a string of previous high-level visits that expanded bilateral relations in commercial and military spheres. Tensions with the West have pushed Belarus and Iran to seek alignment... MORE

Executive Summary: The September 24 Ukrainian naval drone attack on oil terminals in Novorossiysk and Tuapse marked the first time that Ukraine has used maritime drones to attack Russian oil industry facilities.   Ukraine’s development of advanced maritime drones like the Magura and SeaBaby have demonstrated... MORE

Executive Summary: Georgian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) say they are enduring one of the most difficult periods in the country’s history, yet they vow to continue their work despite the financial restrictions. Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has frozen the bank accounts of seven prominent Georgian civil society... MORE