Latest Articles about Economics

Uzbekistan Strengthens Energy Partnership With Afghanistan

Executive Summary: On October 6, Uzbekistan signed a 25-year, $100 million-per-year contract with Afghanistan to explore and develop Afghan oil and gas resources, expanding economic cooperation and processing extracted gas in Uzbekistan for mutual benefit. Kabul and Tashkent have strengthened energy ties through major infrastructure... MORE

Turkish Transport Projects Reshape South Caucasus Connectivity

Executive Summary: Türkiye is advancing the $1.615 billion Eastern Türkiye Railway Infrastructure Development Project (ETMIC), which will modernize the Divrigi–Kars–Georgia line with electrification, signaling, and advanced traffic management to boost freight and regional growth. Ankara is also planning the Samsun–Trabzon–Sarpi high-speed line linking central Türkiye... MORE

Arctic Lead-Zinc Deposit Reflects Limited Options for Kremlin

Executive Summary: After nearly 25 years, Russia is closest to constructing a new mining and processing plant at the Pavlovskoye lead-zinc deposit in the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. The Pavlovskoye project was abandoned after Western sanctions caused Finnish companies to withdraw participation in construction... MORE

Beijing Eyes NSR Through Russia to Advance Arctic Goals

Executive Summary: The maiden Arctic voyage of the Istanbul Bridge from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the U.K. via Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) halved transit time to 20 days, signaling potentially growing PRC–Russian cooperation in Arctic trade corridors. Despite the advantages of... MORE

PRC–Georgian Strategic Partnership Fails to Deliver

Executive Summary: Georgian officials and PRC diplomats present the PRC–Georgian strategic partnership as a path to Georgia’s prosperity, but reality shows minimal PRC investment in Georgia, trade imbalances that benefit Beijing, and PRC companies winning lucrative state contracts in Georgia. Beijing consistently abstains or opposes... MORE

Uzbekistan Weighs Risks of Chabahar Investment

Executive Summary: Uzbekistan’s plans to build infrastructure facilities at the Iranian Chabahar port to gain direct access to the Indian Ocean have not been implemented, indicating Tashkent’s possibly cautious approach to this issue. New Delhi is strengthening its economic ties with Russia and the People’s... MORE

Kremlin’s War Economy Driving Recession in Russia’s Regions

Executive Summary: Official economic data on the first six months of 2025 indicates that Russia’s war economy is stagnating as military industries absorb resources from civilian sectors.  In the first half of 2025, 67 of Russia’s 89 regions reported severe budget deficits, with industrial hubs... MORE

Middle Corridor Expands with PRC’s Growing Role and TRIPP Agreement

Executive Summary: China Railway Container Transport Corp. Ltd, on August 7, joined the Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd, a joint railway venture between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, to facilitate the development of the Middle Corridor. Progress on the Zangezur Corridor, rebranded as Trump Route for International... MORE

Ordinary Russians Can No Longer Ignore the War

Executive Summary: Independent experts and Russian officials agree that the economy is stagnating. Some analysts suggest that this will not lead to an end to the war, but rather to the final restructuring of the economy to a state of complete war readiness. Such a... MORE