Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FM-Lavrov-640x361.jpg)
Lavrov’s Leaks: Moscow Embarrasses Berlin and Paris in Negotiations Over Ukraine (Part One)
Russian diplomacy is testing its rogue-state practices on its Western diplomatic counterparts, and finds them malleable. On November 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov unilaterally publicized the confidential messages recently exchanged between himself and his German and French counterparts, Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian,... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Vladimir-Putin-red-background-640x427.jpg)
Ukraine’s Troubles, Putin’s ‘Red Lines’ and Biden’s Warnings
Crisis is brewing yet again in the intrinsically antagonistic relations between Russia and Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin seeks to harvest richer political dividends from it than he did half a year ago. The apparent buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border follows much... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5b86a266a0b955e5.jpg)
Briefs
Togo Suffers First Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Jihadist Attack On November 11, Togo announced that it had suffered the first ever jihadist terrorist attack on its territory. According to the country’s security forces, the attack occurred in Kpendjal, in the town of Sanloaga, along Togo’s northern border with... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/work-1000618_1280-640x427.jpg)
Chinese Workers in Russian Far East Attack Rosneft Offices
For the third time since the beginning of October, Chinese employees of the Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft came out to protest. Their grievances include the failures of that company to pay them in a timely fashion, to assist those whose positions have been eliminated,... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/3318394.jpg)
Four Obstacles to Iranian Oil and Gas Production in the Caspian Sea
In recent months, a series of analytical publications sparked fresh debate in Iran about the status of Iran’s oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian Sea as well as why it has still not taken greater efforts to exploit those resources. Namely, a piece... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/618e9c4899771618e9c48997721636736072618e9c489976e618e9c4899770-640x427.jpg)
In Istanbul, Turkic Council Members Eye Closer Cooperation and Deeper Integration
On November 12, Istanbul hosted the eighth summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council), attended by the leaders of member states Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and of observer states Hungary and Turkmenistan (Turkkon.org, November 12). The summit, dedicated this... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/33587777461_a29d42e57d_b-640x427.jpg)
Moscow Worried by Ankara’s Expansive Vision of ‘Turkic World’
Since the victory of Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan in the Second Karabakh War (September 27–November 9, 2020), Russian commentators have been concerned about Ankara’s efforts to create a union of Turkic states under its aegis. And that alarm has only intensified now that Turkey has established... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Georgia-Russia-briefing-26Oct.2020_0-640x427.jpg)
In Face of Western Criticism, Georgian Authorities Adopt Trappings of ‘Sovereign Democracy’ Rhetoric
On November 13, one of the top leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, former parliamentary chairperson Irakli Kobakhidze, issued a statement, in which he referred to Polish member of the European Parliament (MEP) Anna Fotyga as a “patron of criminals” (Facebook.com, November 13). Fotyga,... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-11-10T160130Z_1273462639_RC2LRQ925S8T_RTRMADP_3_EUROPE-MIGRANTS-BELARUS-POLAND-640x426.jpg)
The Internationalization of the Belarusian Political Crisis Not Working Out in the West’s Favor
The political crisis in Belarus is far from over. Its internationalization along the lines of a geopolitical tug-of-war between Russia and the West began well before the current showdown over Middle Eastern migrants. Stuck at the Polish border (see EDM, November 11), the masses of... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/RZD-diesel-long-distance-train-Russia.jpg)
The Fate of China’s Rail Line to Uzbekistan Likely to Be Decided in Kyrgyzstan
As a part of its Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese plans to construct a railway from Xinjiang through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan and onward to Turkmenistan has been under discussion for two decades. If realized, the railway would transform the geopolitical situation in the region. This... MORE