Section: Intersection (EU)
Moldova: the integration of integrations
Russia / Europe Following a long break, a meeting of the Moldovan-Russian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation was held on November 29 in Moscow. This event was the culmination of intensive negotiations between the two countries which had gone on for at least six months. The negotiations were aimed at the restoration of fully-fledged...
Operation “Oblivion”
Society In Russia, as in much of the post-Soviet space, the past is the present. From Ukraine, to Belarus, to Poland and Lithuania, historical narratives of communism, World War II, the Holocaust, and the Holodomor—Ukraine’s Terror-Famine—are being reviewed, revised, and in many cases manipulated to serve new ideological trends. In Russia,...
Middle East: admitting the obvious
Russia / World The Islamic State’s “liberation” of Palmyra from Bashar al-Assad’s army divisions on December 11 has demonstrated once again that Damascus and Moscow’s coalition has no clear advantage in Syria. Apparently, it would be equally correct to state that the Baghdad–Washington coalition in Iraq has no clear advantage...
Rosneft’s triumph?
Economy The shock December 7 announcement that Rosneft was selling a 19.5% stake in itself to a joint consortium between Swiss commodity giant, Glencore, and the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, is undoubtedly the most significant development in Russian energy markets this year. It is a development of major geopolitical importance as well. When...
The degree of militarism
Security According to the 2017 draft federal budget of the Russian Federation (RF), a cut in national defense spending is planned. Some experts interpret this as a reason for optimism as it would seem that Russia is not seeking to escalate military conflicts in the coming year. What is really behind the planned reduction in military spending?...
The Scandinavian equilibrium: between Russia and NATO
Russia / Europe The annexation of Crimea and the military operations taking place in south-eastern Ukraine are perceived as a Europe-wide threat to security. The latest report on Sweden’s security policy states that the conflict between Russia and the West is not limited to Central Europe but has spilled over into the Baltic states. Russian...
When rulers leave
Politics While world political grandees busy themselves with internal political affairs, events are taking place on the periphery which could potentially set the course for development in entire regions. One such event is the extraordinary presidential election in Uzbekistan, following the unexpected death of its former president, Islam Karimov....
Will Turkmenistan give up neutrality in favor of Gazprom?
Russia / World Leaders of Asian post-Soviet countries generally agree to meet with the Russian president with pleasure. To be invited to Moscow for grand events or bilateral negotiations is considered an honor. Turkmen leaders Saparmurat Niyazov, and his successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, were the exceptions to the rule in the early 2000s. Very...
Crimean “saboteurs”
Russia / Europe The Russian FSB (the Federal Security Service) strives to boost the self-esteem of the Ukrainian security service time and time again. Statements from the Russian security service appear fascinating against the backdrop of the failure of the Ukrainian authorities to develop, at the very least, an official strategy concerning...
The Case of Crimea is not closed
Russia / World While everybody in Russia was discussing the arrest of the now ex-minister of economic development, Alexei Ulyukayev, two significant events took place. International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, issued a preliminary report which determined Russia’s annexation of Crimea to be an international armed...
