Romania’s lack of modern infrastructure hampers its economic development as well its security and defense policies. Without up-to-date roads, highways and rail links, Romania cannot use its interior lines to counter an attack on its territory. Romania’s response in case of an invasion will also... MORE

Russians have long feared that the demographic imbalance between an overpopulated China and an underpopulated Siberia and Russian Far East will eventually result in Beijing’s taking control of what is now part of the Russian Federation. And Moscow has manipulated that fear since Soviet times... MORE

The period of relative calm in Armenian politics that followed the May 8 election of protest leader Nikol Pashinyan as the new head of government (see EDM, May 22) may have come to an end. The new cabinet had previously announced that anti-corruption measures would... MORE

The soccer fiesta in Russia moves into its second week, but the noisy celebrations could not entirely hide the deepening discontent caused by the tightening of economic and social policies (see EDM, June 18, 21). The government has obviously decided that the World Cup opens... MORE

Few in Russia or the West paid much attention to the Cossacks until a group of people claiming to be members attacked anti-Kremlin demonstrators, in Moscow, on May 5 (see EDM, May 17). Most Russians viewed them as fanciful revenants from the past; and most... MORE

Nice summer weather in Moscow and in most of European Russia, in addition to the surprisingly good performance by the Russian national soccer team, have added to the carnival feeling of euphoria on the streets of the Russian cities hosting the 2018 World Cup. The... MORE

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced his resignation, on June 13 (Civil Georgia, June 13). For those following the protest rallies in Tbilisi, Kvirikashvili’s departure may not have seemed particularly unexpected. Thousands of Georgians had, for weeks, gone out into the streets, calling for the... MORE

Kuropaty, a patch of forest adjacent to the Minsk beltway, has been the venue of daily public protests against a newly commissioned restaurant since May 31. The land was the site of executions of innocent civilians by the Soviet secret police from 1937 to 1941.... MORE

What do international espionage concerns, a Chinese truckers’ strike, and the smart cities of the future all have in common? All are part of the story of how the commercial ambitions of Huawei—one of the PRC’s leading developers of high-tech electronics and telecommunications equipment—could be... MORE

The start of the 2018 World Cup (June 14–July 15) had everything that the millions of soccer fans in Russia could wish for: perfectly prepared stadiums, a beautiful and short opening ceremony, and the spectacular performance of the national team. The country has, indeed, come... MORE