Latest Articles about Domestic/Social

The Most Important Book on Post-Soviet Chechnya—and Much Else Besides
In war, as has often been observed, “truth is the first casualty.” But it is also a fact that after any war, truth regarding that conflict is often again sacrificed and new myths arise. Seldom has that been more apparent than in the case of... MORE

Xi Signals a New Round of “Struggle” Against Foes in the Party
A Renewed Call for “Struggle” Within the CCP Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping has called for a season of renewed douzheng (斗争), or “struggle,” to tackle the country’s international and domestic problems. To further consolidate his position as the “eternal core” of... MORE

Confucius Institutes and the Corporate Sector: An Emerging Avenue for Chinese Communist Party Foreign Influence?
September 27 will mark 15 years since the opening of the first Confucius Institute in South Korea in 2004. Today, over 500 of these Chinese government-funded centers operate in more than 150 countries worldwide. Many of them plan to celebrate the occasion as part of... MORE

A ‘New’ Russian Approach to Circassian Repatriation?
Several days ago (September 22), the Russian Ministry of Interior’s regional office in Kabardino-Balkaria—one of the North Caucasus republics to which Circassians in the Middle East want to return—turned to a Telegram channel to declare that it is seeking to “effectively realize” a new program... MORE

Passions Over Integration with Russia and Elections in Belarus
While some seven or eight years ago newsworthy events pertaining to Belarus were considered rare, today they are so abundant it is difficult to choose which to focus on. Just during the last week, a lingering debate over Belarus’s integration with Russia reached a fever... MORE

No Fanfare for Russia’s Reduced-Scale Strategic Exercises
Russia’s annual major autumnal exercises are usually accompanied by a loud propaganda campaign advertising the country’s military might; this year, however, official reporting on the Tsentr 2019 war games was rather low key. On Friday (September 20), President Vladimir Putin, in his capacity as commander-in-chief,... MORE

Standoff Between Armenian Government and Former Regime Continues
The long-awaited trial of former president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan (in office, 1998–2008) and other officials charged with violations of the constitutional order is finally about to begin, with hearings of witness testimonies underway. For more than a year since his indictment, Kacharyan’s defense lawyers... MORE

Moscow Exporting ‘Political Technologists’ Beyond Africa to Europe
The term “political technology” prevalent across the former Soviet space, might perhaps be best described as “a euphemism for what is by now a highly developed industry of political manipulation.” The Kremlin has used this tool widely in Russia as well as in other former... MORE

Russia’s Critical River Fleet Not Making the Comeback Moscow Needs
Moscow media last week (September 12) celebrated the launch a new Russian river cruise ship, the Mustay Karim (Vzglyad, September 12). But several weeks earlier, an announcement by Omsk regional officials highlighted just how far down Russia’s once proud river fleet has slipped. Specifically, the... MORE

What Drives Belarus’s Rapprochement With the West?
The sudden sacking of United States National Security Advisor John Bolton just days after he returned from his high-profile visit to the Belarusian capital tempted some observers to try to draw conclusions from this incident regarding the future of Belarusian-US ties. Surely any such attempts... MORE