Eurasia

In December the U.S. State Department for the first time placed Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.” The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported an uptick in the suppression of religious freedoms and an intensification of persecution targeting …

The IDF’s recent airstrikes on civilian areas in Rafah mark the beginning of the final phase of Israel’s massive ethnic cleansing project. On Monday, Israel bombed a number of locations where Palestinian refugees were huddled in tents after fleeing Israel’s onslaught in the North. Videos of the destruction appeared on …

The Israel-Hamas confrontation is spreading to the wider Middle Eurasian region. This marks a turning point in the on-going reconfiguration of geopolitics in Middle Eurasia. Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen, the latter disrupting maritime trade through the Red Sea which carries nearly 30% of …

Recent U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iran-aligned militia forces in Iraq have fueled pro-Iranian political and militia leaders to accelerate their efforts to force a U.S. withdrawal. The government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is working to reflect public opposition to U.S. strikes on Iraqi territory while remaining engaged with …

A FRACTURE IN UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF MYTHSThe study of methodological requirements usually comes down to comparing scientists of various profiles to a certain “conceptual bar” that is most authoritative for them, the compliance of which is taken as a criterion for the scientific nature of certain artifacts, judgments and …

Russian Republic of Tatarstan Head Rustam Minnikhanov paid an official visit to Iran, likely to discuss Russo-Iranian defense industrial and military cooperation. Minnikhanov visited unspecified “large industries and industrial towns” in Esfahan Province and met with the provincial governor on February 14.[i] Several prominent defense industrial and military sites, including …

Introduction The countries of the central Maghreb – Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia – are increasingly difficult partners for Europe. Over the past few years, their leaders have become more assertive in trying to set the terms of relations with the European Union and its member states, using both their countries’ …

Paris lance – dans une précipitation suscitée par la peur d’être lâché par les États-Unis dans le conflit ukrainien – l’idée du réarmement de l’UE avec le Triangle de Weimar, une réunion constituée de la Pologne, de la France et de l’Allemagne, mais qui n’a jamais montré ses preuves depuis …

North Macedonia’s public services have gone digital. Only they haven’t.Digitalisation has become a buzz word in North Macedonia, where for two decades politicians have rolled out digital reforms, opened so-called ‘One-Stop Shops’ and promoted ‘E-services’. Yet public registries remain unconnected, procedures are complicated – bordering on absurd – and the …

John Watkins’ new travelogue offers an intriguing snapshot of a country still scarred by the legacy of its brutal dictator.Over the past 10 to 15 years, it would be easy for someone with only a passing knowledge of history to think that Albania is just another part of what has …