Latest Articles about Elite
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Hungarian Prime Minister Visits Moscow, Seeking Additional Gas Supplies From Russia
On January 20, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjártó gave an exclusive interview to the state-owned Russian news agency TASS, advocating for long-term agreements for natural gas imports to Europe and voicing hopes that Hungary’s own supply contract with Gazprom will be extended (TASS... MORE
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Putin Takes His Ukraine Crisis to Beijing
The opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing last Friday (February 4) may be remembered not only for its spectacular fireworks and extra-tight pandemic measures but also as a turning point in the brewing crisis on the border of Ukraine—a crisis the... MORE
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Moscow Patriarchate Moves Into Africa, Helping Kremlin but Roiling Orthodox World
Last November, the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) announced it was creating its own exarchate for Africa and would seek to wrest control of the continent’s bishoprics and parishes away from the Orthodox Church of Alexandria and All Africa (a.k.a. the Greek... MORE
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Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev Struggles to Break With Nazarbayev Era
Since consolidating power on January 5, when he assumed the chairmanship of the Security Council instead of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstani President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev has generated unprecedented popular expectations for change. Tokayev is closely associated with the Nazarbayev regime (Nazarbayev was president of Kazakhstan from 1990... MORE
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Lukashenka’s State of the Country Address: No Contrition and No Exit
On January 28, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka delivered his state of the country address to the Belarusian parliament (YouTube, January 28). This is an annual event, though, in 2021, he skipped it altogether. This last speech lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes; in addition, Lukashenka spent... MORE
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Crisis in Neighboring Kazakhstan Presents Uzbekistan With Challenges on Multiple Fronts
This month’s crisis in Kazakhstan, triggered by gas fuel price rises, came as a massive surprise for the Uzbekistani political elites. When the protests erupted in the neighboring country, almost all of Uzbekistan’s political establishment, including President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, were still on New Year’s vacation... MORE
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Social Unrest in Kazakhstan Turns Violent, Ends Nazarbayev Era
The inaugural week of the new year ushered in a period of unprecedented instability for Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy. The country has long been considered an island of stability in a chronically unstable region where, for instance, neighboring Kyrgyzstan went through three revolutions since... MORE
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China in 2022: Xi’s Time is Only Beginning, But Where Will it Lead?
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) official narrative holds that China is at a decisive moment. In the CCP’s telling, China’s long-sought goal of “national rejuvenation” is within reach, and can be attained by rallying around General Secretary Xi Jinping’s leadership to fully implement “Xi Jinping... MORE
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Xi Jinping and “Common Prosperity”: New Governance Paradigm or Tool to Consolidate Power?
Introduction During the 6th Plenum of the 19th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, held in November 2021, China’s top political leadership passed a “historical resolution” that cements President Xi Jinping’s (习近平) status as a transformative leader and secures his political legacy (People’s Daily, November... MORE
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All-Out Defense of “Chinese-Style Democracy” Exposes Cracks in Xi Jinping’s Armor
In the run-up to the U.S. “Democracy Summit” hosted by President Joe Biden on December 9-10, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pulled out all the stops to convince the world that China’s “whole-process democracy” (全过程民主, quanguocheng minzhu) is superior to the democratic ideals championed by... MORE