Russia
Archive
Russia unlikely to interfere in Saudi-UAE dispute to raise oil output
“There is a very wise old saying that ‘it is a very foolish person that seeks to interfere in family disputes,’” Chris Weafer, co-founder...
Analysis
Denmark is leading the race against Russian hackers
‘Don’t open this e-mail from “McDonald’s”.’ The word ‘Warnings’ white against the green background, screams at me from the top of the mobile phone...
Democracy & Human Rights
Violence in the name of God
On July 5, Georgian far-right activists dispersed the planned Tbilisi Pride week by physically attacking more than 50 people, of which 53 were members...
Afghanistan
Tribal truths: The wounds of the US’ Afghanistan exit
As a land heavily influenced by tribal practices, an Afghan proverb stating, “The wound of the sword will heal, but not that of the...
Archive
OPEC+ seeks agreement on oil production policy
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC, an energy alliance often referred to as OPEC+, was expected to reconvene via teleconference on...
Archive
The COVID-19 situation across Eurasia is getting worse
The COVID infection rate in Moscow is still growing and is also starting to rise in St Petersburg as well as in the Moscow...
Analysis
Armenia’s post-election challenges
In the wake of Armenia’s recent early parliamentary election, incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is set to form a new government. Armed with a...
Archive
Uzbek fuel industry focuses on the creation of high-tech petrochemical clusters
Uzbekistan has undergone radical reforms in the years since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev assumed power in late 2016, including the easing of conditions for foreign...
Archive
China tensions, Iran nuclear talks support oil price hike
Oil prices traded close to a three-year high on June 24, supported by geopolitical tensions, including China and Iran, falling US inventories and prospects...
Archive
Ukraine’s robber barons must be held accountable
On June 1, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, Andriy Shevchenko, was called to testify before the Parliaments Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and International Development....
Analysis
Assessing Armenia’s post-war election
Against a backdrop of profound political polarization and deep division, Armenian voters went to the polls on June 20 to elect a new parliament. ...
Archive
CIS Heads of Diplomatic Missions issue statement on 80th anniversary of ‘Great Patriotic War’ outbreak
The Brussels-based heads of Diplomatic Missions from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan issued a statement on June 22 to...
Archive
Charged up EU takes on China in battery battle
BRATISLAVA - The European Union has attracted massive investment along the battery value chain, boosting its energy and raw materials independence, as the EU...
Analysis
Did Biden draw a line in the sand with or legitimize Putin in Geneva?
When President Joe Biden arrived at the historic Villa la Garange in Geneva for a much-anticipated meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, he triumphantly...
Analysis
Europe must double down on fighting antisemitism
Whenever Israel exercises its right to defend itself against terror, count on a wave of violent antisemitism to sweep across the West. Last month,...
Archive
Sanctions have to hurt
Can the EU topple Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator of Belarus, with new sanctions? Probably not, but after the forced landing of Ryanair Flight 4978,...
Analysis
Climate management key in repairing Biden-Putin relationship
After seven years of sanctions and accusations of malign activities by both sides, political relations between Russia and the United States are the worst...
Archive
The last party in the oil market
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other major crude producers led by Russia, a group so-called OPEC+, agreed on June 1...
Analysis
A fiscal pandemic on the EU’s eastern border may eventually strike at the heart of Europe
The economic crisis in the European Union that was caused by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has slowly started to subside after months...
Archive
No discounts on the EU’s fundamental values
Alexander Schallenberg has been Austria's Federal Minister for European and International Affairs in the second Sebastian Kurz government since January 2020. He previously served...
Archive
European weakness and the rise of authoritarians
A diverted plane is nothing new, bomb threats may be rare but are no longer a novelty, but an armed interceptor fighter jet “escorting”...
Archive
The West must find its spine
I usually take the greatest satisfaction in having been proved right, whether it's a case of 'I told you the turning to the hotel...
Analysis
Democracies must hold their companies to higher standards in China
Earlier this month, the New York Times published the findings of its multi-year investigation into how Apple has risked Chinese customers’ data and the...
Analysis
Tougher sanctions against Belarus
It was a clear act of state-sponsored terrorism. An Irish passenger plane from the Irish budget airline Ryan Air, while on its way from...
Asia & Pacific
The consequences of Myanmar’s coup
Renowned writer William Gaddis said, “Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.” Myanmar (Burma) and its citizens have long suffered the effects of an unstable...
Afghanistan
Turkey: A state sponsor of terrorism?
Turkey functions like a state-sponsor of terrorism (SST), fueling Islamist extremism domestically and deploying jihadist mercenaries to Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. Listing Turkey as...
Archive
Belarus’ skyjacking of Ryanair flight to arrest dissident journalist rattles EU
ATHENS – An incident in which a Belarusian warplane intercepted a flight between EU-members Greece and Lithuania and forced it down in Minsk on...
Archive
Russia’s Rosatom develops lower uranium enrichment for Finland’s Loviisa NPP
Russia’s state atomic corporation Rosatom said on May 24 its TVEL Fuel Company has completed development of the new modification of VVER-440 fuel for...
Archive
No waves here: US waives sanctions for Nord Stream 2, CEO too
The US Department of State submitted on May 19 a report to Congress pursuant to the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), as amended,...
Archive
Ode to the Cold War: Geopolitics is more complicated than ever
“Christ, I miss the Cold War,” hisses Judi Dench while playing the role of 'M' in the 2006 James Bond reboot, Casino Royale. Well,...
Albania
Why is the Rama government going soft on Hamas?
To date, the violations of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) debated in Tirana and Brussels were related to business issues. The SAA, the...
Albania
Ukraine’s chances to join NATO are slim to none, despite Zelensky’s claims
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict was once again back in the headlines in April when people across the world followed massive troop build-ups in and around...
Archive
Colonial Pipeline Darkside ransom hack shows nobody safe
The largest pipeline system for refined oil products in the US, the Colonial Pipeline, was shut down last week after a ransomware cyberattack. On...
Analysis
It’s hard to make friends but easy to lose them: A tale of Russia’s self-inflicted isolation
In recent years Estonia did its best to develop an engaging and pragmatic approach towards Russia. In April 2019, President Kersti Kaljulaid visited Moscow,...
Canada
Old allies, new ways: Reappraising European defense
On May 6, the European Council approved the participation of the United States, Canada and Norway in the Permanent Structured Cooperation’s (PESCO) Military Mobility...
Archive
US wants Iran nuke deal reinstated, but tied to safeguards
US President Joe Biden says that restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as 'the Iran nuclear deal', must be followed...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Fishing for the future
Fishing, one of the world’s oldest industries has grown exponentially since the mid-20th century and is now responsible for feeding almost half the world’s...
China
Is climate change an existential threat to democracy?
In the long-run climate change is an existential issue for our species. In the short term, it is an existential threat for democracy. As...
Albania
COVID-19 vaccine supplies trickle into Southeast Europe
In line with global trends, deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Southeast Europe increased in April, but the record to-date shows it was anything...
Archive
Eriell Group, Uzbekneftegas brings new gas wells online in Uzbekistan
Eriell Group, an international oilfield services group providing well construction and workover services to major oil and gas companies in Central Asia, Russia, and...
Archive
Commission proposes to ease restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU
Almost 15 months after Europe effectively closed its borders to the outside world in its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, the European...
Analysis
The soft power of big business in a former Soviet republic
The increasing isolation of Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko’s regime on the international stage raises important questions about the future of the country’s economy. As...
Archive
Chernobyl and the hope for a safer and more sustainable future
The accident that took place 35 years ago on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power station remains one of the worst man-made...
Archive
Gazprom and Wintershall Dea to begin production at Block 5A of Urengoyskoye field
A joint venture of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Germany’s Wintershall Dea, Achim Development, started gas and gas condensate production from Block 5А in...
Archive
Check the Czechs
With the Czech Republic having the dubious honor of hosting the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of the West versus Vladimir Putin's Russia...
Analysis
The significance of U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide
Like every U.S. leader before him, President Joseph Biden issued a commemorative statement on April 24 to mark the annual commemoration of the Armenian...
Archive
Rosatom, Air Liquide and Sakhalin Region ink MoU for low carbon hydrogen cooperation
Rusatom Overseas, a subsidiary of Russian state atomic corporation Rosatom, France's Air Liquide, a leading industrial gas producer, and the Sakhalin region government have...
Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s key priorities for the comprehensive development of transport corridors in Central Asia
Over the past 4 years, Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been carrying out systemic reforms aimed at liberalizing and modernizing...
Czech Republic
Is Central Europe waking up from its pan-Slavic Russian fantasy?
The shocking revelation that agents of Russia's GRU military intelligence were involved in a 2014 explosion at an arms depot in the Czech city...
Afghanistan
With GSP+ beneficiary status, Uzbekistan takes major step towards closer relations with Europe
A decision by the European Union to include Uzbekistan as the ninth beneficiary of its Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance,...
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