Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
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Upsurge of Political Passions in Belarus Ahead of Energy Talks With Russia
Belarus’s relations with Russia, the country’s most powerful neighbor and donor, have markedly deteriorated in recent weeks. On the surface, nothing seems to be further complicating the Belarusian-Russian relationship, beyond Russia’s so-called oil-tax maneuver (making oil more expensive for Belarus—see EDM, January 14) and hardline... MORE
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Role of Cryptocurrencies in Financing Russia’s ‘Hybrid’ Wars
Myrotvorets, a controversial independent Ukrainian website that claims to track persons threatening Ukraine’s security, has called on the authorities in Kyiv to investigate Russia’s alleged use of cryptocurrencies (via the WEX digital currency exchange platform) to fund subversive activities potentially in support of one of... MORE
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Merkel, Macron Plan Meeting With Putin After Ukraine’s Presidential Election
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron each conferred with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin and Paris, respectively, on the same day, April 12, between the two rounds of Ukraine’s presidential election. With challenger Volodymyr Zelensky far ahead in the opinion polls,... MORE
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Sudan Coup Highlights Weaknesses of Putin’s Plan to Create ‘African Empire’ for Russia
On orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, his agent Yevgeny Prigozhin—popularly known as “the cook” because of his ownership of a catering company—has inserted “political technologists” in at least 20 African countries. These Russian operatives are meant to ensure the continuation in office of Moscow’s... MORE
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Putin Lauds Arctic Cooperation While Boosting Regional Militarization
The fifth Russia-sponsored international forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” was staged last week (April 9–10), in St. Petersburg, and President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to demonstrate his particular interest in the international issues affecting this extreme region. He was joined on the panel... MORE
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Azerbaijan and the EU Prepare to Finalize a New Partnership Agreement
On April 4, during a meeting, in Brussels, of the European Union–Azerbaijan Cooperation Council, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that the two sides “are very close” to reaching a new partnership agreement, with over 90 percent of the issues in question already decided. The... MORE
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Putin Seeks to Garner Support of Russian Youth Through Military-Patriotic Upbringing (Part One)
During his visit to Crimea and Sevastopol, on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the importance of patriotic education for schoolchildren and teenagers. In his address, Putin emphasized such notions as “patriotism,” “love for the Fatherland,” and “knowledge of history” as the Russian nation’s... MORE
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Vega Strategic Services: Russian PMCs as Part of Information Warfare?
The Russian investigative agency Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) published a report, on March 28, stating that, in addition to private military armies, Russia has now created a Private Military Company (PMC) of a new type. Specifically, the report examines Vega Strategic Services Ltd. (Vega), “a... MORE
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Kazakhstan Reaffirms Ties to Russia as It Enters the Final Stage of Leadership Succession
On April 9, Kazakhstani acting president Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, who assumed office on March 20, after the resignation of his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev (see EDM, March 27), delivered his first address to the nation. In his speech, the former speaker of the Senate, whose current term... MORE
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Kadyrov Moves to Expand Chechnya’s Regional and International Influence, Even at Moscow’s Expense
As long as the Russian government was able to pay Chechnya massive subsidies, Ramzan Kadyrov was generally prepared to keep his republic quiet and play by Moscow’s rules as far as his activities beyond Chechen borders were concerned. But now, Moscow faces economic stringencies that... MORE