Latest Articles about Economics
Global Supply Chains, Economic Decoupling, and U.S.-China Relations, Part 1: The View from the United States
Editor’s Note: A series of trade disputes between the United States and China (frequently termed a “trade war” between the two sides) commenced in January 2018, with a series of import tariffs levied on Chinese goods by the U.S. government, followed by retaliatory tariffs issued... MORE
Kazakhstani President Tokayev Embarks on a Turbulent Second Year in Office
On March 19, 2019, Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned as president of Kazakhstan and was constitutionally succeeded the following day by the speaker of the Senate, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. Less than three months later, on June 9, the president ad interim was confirmed in his role through a... MORE
Russians Grapple With Oil Price War at a Time of Pandemic
The timing could not have been worse for Russia to provoke a spat with Saudi Arabia over oil production quotas in early March. Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the OPEC+ agreement restricting oil production in order to maintain higher oil prices triggered a harsh reaction... MORE
Belarus’s Geopolitical Loneliness
The veil of uncertainty (see EDM, March 17) surrounding Belarus’s short- to medium-term socio-economic prospects continues to thicken. Alexander Chubrik, a reputable economist, writes about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who have arrived in Belarus at the same time (Tut.by, March 16). They represent... MORE
Collateral Damage: Azerbaijan and Central Asia Are Caught in Russia’s Oil War
As the novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread across the Eurasian landmass and beyond, the energy-producing states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia were dealt a separate, serious economic blow by Russia. Specifically, Russia’s decision to pull out of the... MORE
Uzbekistan Temporarily Chooses Observer Status Instead of Full Membership in Eurasian Union
On March 6, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan approved the decision to apply for observer status with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) (Kun.uz, March 7). The move brings to a close months of speculation about whether Tashkent would end previous president Islam... MORE
Russia Sinks Into Economic Quicksand
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s much-publicized series of interviews with the official TASS news agency was suddenly interrupted during the third week of March 2020. The pre-recorded interviews, which heretofore received priority coverage across state media, focus on Putin’s achievements during the last two decades of... MORE
Kremlin Under Siege From Simultaneous Health, Economic Crises
On January 15, 2020, as Russia slowly emerged from its prolonged New Year’s and Orthodox Christmas holidays, President Vladimir Putin suddenly announced a series of constitutional changes. The same day, Putin reshuffled his government, replacing his long-serving loyal prime minister and former president, Dmitry Medvedev,... MORE
Economic Issues and Political Grievances May Revive Russia’s Ethnic Fault Lines in the North Caucasus
According to a report by a Russian credit rating agency affiliated with RBK media holding, 62 of Russia’s 83 regions (this total excludes the illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, which Moscow considers its 84th and 85th federal subjects) are likely to deplete their financial reserves... MORE
Belarus Navigates a Time of Uncertainty
“Utmost uncertainty” is perhaps the most fitting label summarizing the current situation in Belarus. Against the backdrop of a possible recession, international oil prices plummeted on March 9, in the wake of Russia’s decision to pull out of the so-called OPEC+ agreement with Saudi Arabia,... MORE