On January 21, Turkmenistani President Serdar Berdymukhamedov issued decrees giving his predecessor and father Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov the title of “National Leader” (Милли лидер) and appointing him chairman of the reformed People’s Council (Halk Maslahaty), restructuring the country’s parliament from a bicameral to unicameral legislative entity... MORE

The consequences of Moscow’s war against Ukraine have begun to appear in Russian territory. At the end of February 2023, Russia’s border regions suffered a massive drone attack. On February 27, four drones crashed or were shot down in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. On... MORE

Cossackia, the land east of Ukraine and north of the North Caucasus in the Russian Federation, is the traditional home of the three largest Cossack communities: the Don, Kuban and Terek hosts. As such, it has the potential to become a powerful bulwark against Russian... MORE

On March 10, the Georgian Parliament rejected the draft law, “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence,” after its second reading. The controversial bill was initiated in December 2022 by the pro-government “People's Power” movement and was enthusiastically supported by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili’s ruling Georgian Dream... MORE

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov’s health has rapidly deteriorated according to multiple media reports. Kadyrov, who has experienced kidney failure due to alleged poisoning, does not trust Russian doctors. Thus, a doctor from Abu Dhabi was invited to treat him. Due to these health issues, the... MORE

Part of Russia’s imperial tactics for delegitimizing national minorities within its empire has been the theft or commandeering of indigenous cultures and their re-articulation into a form that supports Moscow’s power arrangements. This is proving to be the case with the seeming revival of the... MORE

On March 9, Czech president-elect and former North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Chairman Petr Pavel will take office in the Prague Castle. As only the fourth president of the republic, Pavel plays a central role in shaping presidential norms and influencing the political climate of... MORE

The Belarusian political regime headed by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is almost 29 years old, and its endurance should be scrutinized by advanced political scientists. Suffice it to say that it has lived under Western-imposed sanctions since 1996, albeit with intermissions, such as between 2015 and... MORE

*Read Part One. As the intense fighting continues between Ukrainian and Russian forces around Bakhmut and Vuhledar, Kyiv continues to take steps to limit elements of Moscow’s influence within Ukraine, including placing restraints on the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). In truth, the ROC has provided... MORE

In February 2023, when President Vladimir Putin referred to the possibility that not only the Russian Federation but also the Russian nation itself could disintegrate, commentators in both Moscow and the West agreed almost unanimously that he was engaged in a propaganda exercise rather than... MORE