Latest Articles about Economics
Russian Elite Profiteering Enables Growing Chinese Control of Baikal Region
China is rapidly expanding its presence and control in Russia’s Trans-Baikal region. This drive is, in part, being driven by Beijing’s economic interests in Siberia and the Russian Far East as a whole. However, perhaps even more importantly, the trend is buttressed by the fact... MORE
Ukrainian President’s Political Ally Implicated in Scandal Over Murky Defense-Sector Supply Chains
With a month remaining before the presidential election, scheduled for March 31, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko found himself caught up in a scandal that could further harm his chances for reelection. A recent investigation by journalists from Nashi Hroshi alleges that one of Poroshenko’s close... MORE
Turkmenistan Redirects Its Oil Exports From Azerbaijan to Russia
Swiss firm Vitol and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR have been embroiled in a quarrel over the transportation of crude oil from Turkmenistan. While the respective companies and government officials from Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkmenistan have kept silent on the matter, media outlets tend to... MORE
Belarusian Diplomacy and Leadership: Notable Activity on All Flanks
Recently, presidents Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin spent three days (February 13–15) together in Sochi, Russia. As a result, Lukashenka sacrificed his previously planned trip to the Munich Security Conference. Besides negotiating, both heads of state skied, and Lukashenka took part in Putin’s talks with... MORE
Putin Promises Russians Prosperity While Challenging the West With Nuclear Superweapons
One year ago, on March 1, 2018, in his annual address to the parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at length about plans to kick-start the stagnant economy, increase household incomes and pensions, as well as spend more on education and medicine. The promises were... MORE
The “16+1” Initiative and Poland’s Disengagement from China
Introduction The China—Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Initiative (China—CEEC), organized in 2012, is an ambitious program intended to facilitate economic, technological, and cultural exchanges between the PRC and partner nations in Europe. The program is also frequently referred to as the “16+1” Initiative, in... MORE
The Balochistan Insurgency and the Threat to Chinese Interests in Pakistan
Introduction On November 23, 2018, insurgents of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the PRC Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The assault resulted in the deaths of seven people, including two police officers and three of the attackers (Dawn, November 23 2018). One month after this... MORE
Beyond Lies: A New Stage in the Belarus-Russia Information War
On February 13, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met for the fourth time over the course of two months (President.gov.by, February 13; Belta, February 6). As widely predicted, the agenda of their negotiations revolved around months-long unresolved economic issues.... MORE
Russia’s Hybrid Strategy in the Sea of Azov: Divide and Antagonize (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan stated, on February 1, that “Russian’s most recent actions in the Sea of Azov have resulted in Ukraine losing $360 million” (RBC, February 1). The announcement pointedly contrasted with comments from several... MORE
Arrests in Poland Contribute to the International Controversies Surrounding Huawei
Introduction The December 1, 2018, arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟) in Vancouver—an arrest made by Canadian officials pursuant to a warrant issued in the United States—touched off a three-way diplomatic firestorm between China, Canada, and the United States. However, in the... MORE