Eurasia

Poland’s defense budget, currently over two percent of the country’s GDP, is apparently set to grow further. In October 2021, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński announced that his government intended to raise defense spending to “significantly higher” levels. Its headline aim was to double the strength of Poland’s armed …

Russia has deployed “a group of operatives” into Ukraine to foment a pretext for another invasion of that country, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said during a news conference Friday. Kirby hastened to say that the U.S. government still believes there is room to solve the problem of the …

Environmental and social impact is top of mind for investors as climate change and social cohesion top the list of Global Risks 2022. Cryptocurrencies provide both new opportunities and challenges related to ESG across a diverse and often-fragmented ecosystem. To support the global efforts to accelerate the development and responsible …

For months, Ukraine has been a central focus for Western foreign policy as Russia has continued its military buildup on the border, reaching 100,000 troops. Moscow has threatened to carry out a military attack and has now issued an ultimatum for the United States to bless a Russian sphere of …

In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a port city on the Pacific coast, to issue a call to action. Russia, he said, needed a new generation of pioneers to revive the country’s eastern frontier. “The development of the Far Eastern region …

Russia faced fresh criticism Wednesday as the International Energy Agency (IEA) accused it of squeezing gas supplies to Europe and accentuating an energy crisis across the continent. Prices for gas have soared this winter in Europe, with wholesale prices standing five times higher than last year in a number of …

U.S. senators from President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party on Wednesday threatened major consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, including sanctions on President Vladimir Putin, Russian banks, and $500 million in fresh security aid to Kyiv. The introduction of legislation comes as the United States and its NATO allies hold talks with …

The United States’ plans to levy sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin would be an “extreme” step that would signify a complete breakdown in ties between the two countries, the Kremlin said Thursday. U.S. senators, with support from the White House, unveiled a package of hard-hitting sanctions Wednesday evening intended …

The unintended consequences of analytical doctrine may make us more vulnerable to surprises. Two recent events, the surprise Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the massing of Russian troops on Ukrainian borders, have brought to the surface the debate about the role of assessment and analysis in informing policy decisions. In …

The riots in Kazakhstan may have abated, but the country’s problems remain unresolved, and its leaders’ challenges have never been greater. Dr Neil Melvin, RUSI’s Director of International Security Studies, identifies what these are. Riots prompted by higher fuel prices are not exactly unusual. We have seen them in places …