Eurasia

When the Soviet Union collapsed three decades ago, the European security architecture suddenly became uncertain, its future put in play. After all, much of the postwar balance of power in Europe—and the world—had rested on the icy pillars of the Cold War, pillars that in 1991 abruptly melted. It didn’t …

Democrats in the U.S. Senate have defeated a bill that would have slapped sanctions on businesses involved in the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas), needed at least 60 votes to pass. It was defeated by a vote of 55-44 on January …

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote this week on a bill sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) to slap sanctions on the operators of the Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline in Europe. Cruz struck a deal with Democrats last month to get a vote on the sanctions bill by …

U.S.-RUSSIA U.S., European, and Russian officials embarked on a series of diplomatic meetings with Russian officials this week in Geneva, Brussels and Vienna. The meetings follow months of mounting fears of a Russian offensive against Ukraine and Moscow’s demand for negotiations with the U.S. on halting, and in some ways …

If 2021 was a test of the Czech Republic’s resilience to populism in a time of pandemic, this year will offer all parties on both sides of the divide a chance to gather their forces. Sandwiched between last October’s parliamentary election and a presidential vote due to take place in …

Corruption revelations, one of the worst COVID-19 death rates in the world, open warfare with the EU: no serious scandal has put much of a dent in the poll numbers of Poland’s ruling PiS party. Will anything happen in 2022 to alter that?As 2021 closed, the popularity of Poland’s ruling …

In 2021 China was, and in 2022 again will be, dominated by the domestic economy, relations with the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic and President Xi Jinping. Despite spectacular bounce-back growth in the first half of the year, China’s economy had slowed dramatically by year’s end. Worries centred on the …

A forum based on Future Minerals is a discerning and defining choice for the region that aligns fully with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 as it transitions from a global leader in energy based on fossil fuels to a global leader in energy based on renewables. The shift to renewable energy …

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his senior aides have repeatedly claimed that Western powers broke promises they made not to expand NATO as the Soviet Union collapsed. In his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow in December, Putin accused NATO of deceiving Russia by giving assurances in the 1990s that …

Vladislav Surkov, the Kremlin’s former chief ideologist, has published a new programmatic article in which he argues that the solution to Russia’s domestic malaise lies in imperial expansion. Indeed, he says, Russia must expand territorially or die (actualcomment.ru/kuda-delsya-khaos-raspakovka-stabilnosti-2111201336.html). Many Russian commentators have suggested that his analysis of the domestic situation …