The High Stakes of Ukraine’s Reform Struggle
It is easy to despair about Ukraine ever reforming and becoming a normal European state. Nevertheless, such despair would be a mistaken response to the flood of stories depicting obstructions to reform—even if they are true. While anyone who has dealt with Ukraine in the last twenty-five years has experienced the frustrations of trying to achieve...
The North Caucasus: Russia’s Soft Underbelly
Summary In last week’s Deep Dive on the South Caucasus, we explained how the region’s unforgiving, mountainous terrain has served as both borderland and battleground for empires. This Deep Dive will focus on the North Caucasus, the relatively flat region above the Greater Caucasus mountain range whose terrain has made it vulnerable to...
Boom and Bust in Belarusian Science & Technology
Private entrepreneurs are the driving force behind the country’s rising IT sector – but could they do it without the state at their back? …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Two Killed, One Ukrainian MP Injured in Suspected Bomb Blast
The explosion that seriously injured a nationalist Ukrainian lawmaker last night in Kyiv has claimed another life. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
No, Boris, the West didn’t lose Russia
The outlines of a new Russia policy have taken shape in the UK over recent years. The aim is to protect ourselves and our allies. The days when we thought we could influence developments inside Russia are long gone. The policy, to use the language of the Cold War, is one of containment rather than rollback. Contrary to what the Kremlin or its...
Ukraine’s Finance Ministry Wants Urgent Tax Reform
Ukraine has a 13 billion US dollar shortage in tax revenues, the country’s Ministry of Finance says. In 2016 the country collected 26.5 billion US dollars in taxes, much less than it should have done. According to the ministry, fiscal reform is needed to make the current system more transparent, corruption-free and more efficient. For...
Hamstrung Moldovan President Loses Fight with Government
Igor Dodon vows again to replace the parliamentary form of government with a presidential state. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
New Ransomware Outbreak Hits Russia, Ukraine
‘Bad Rabbit’ looks a lot like the NotPetya attack that ravaged Ukrainian computer systems in June. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Russia frees jailed Crimean Tatar leaders Chiygoz and Umerov but into exile from Crimea
More details have emerged of the unexpected release on October 25 of imprisoned Crimean Tatar leaders Akhtem Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov. The initial reports that Russia was not preventing them from returning to Crimea were too optimistic and both will, like other Crimean Tatar leaders, be exiled while Crimea remains under occupation …read more...
Watch List: Oct. 25, 2017
The items listed below represent potential emerging issues that our analysts are tracking. These can be long term or short term, but will be updated daily. If an item on our Watch List becomes critical, we will email you a full analysis explaining its significance. Each Saturday, we will follow up our daily Watch List for each week with our...
