Eurasia

Prague pressures Budapest to change its Russia stance

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wants to convince his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán to change his stance on Russia as Hungary is among the countries willing to pay for natural gas imports in roubles – a move unacceptable for Czechia despite its heavy Russian gas dependency. The Czech prime minister …

Read More »

Greece to raise Turkey’s stance on Russia with EU states

The Greek government is expected to raise with its EU partners Ankara’s decision not to join western sanctions against Russia, questioning Turkey’s narrative of being a neutral broker, EURACTIV has learned. “It’s inconceivable that Turkey has managed to escape western sanctions against Russia,” a source close to the matter told …

Read More »

Most Finns would accept permanent NATO presence

Most Finns would accept permanent NATO presence. Most Finns would allow permanent NATO military bases on their soil ahead of the country’s possible application for NATO membership, a survey conducted by media house Uutissuomalainen found. According to the survey, 61% of Finns would allow NATO to establish permanent military bases …

Read More »

French left and ecologists join forces on Labour Day

Thousands gathered across several French cities to participate in Labour Day demonstrations on 1 May, just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected and as parties gear up for legislative elections in June. In a symbolic move, the same day Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France insoumise (LFI) reached a …

Read More »

Putin “Begins Gas Blackmail of Europe”: The US Must Give Ukraine Warplanes to Defeat Russia

Now, following Russia’s dramatic decision this week to cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, the West and its allies must give serious consideration to upgrading the level of military support they provide to Ukraine. The real reason, though, [that Russia cut gas supplies] is that Russia is trying to …

Read More »

ISIL attacks warn of a re-emergence in northeast Syria

An attack on a Ramadan iftar on Wednesday was the latest to be blamed on ISIL in Syria’s northeast. ISIL (ISIS) is believed to have carried out a spate of attacks in the past week in northeastern Syria, an indication, experts and monitors have said, that the group is potentially …

Read More »

Ukraine’s Digital Fight Goes Global

The Risks of a Self-Directed, Volunteer Army of Hackers Asomewhat conventional war is underway in Ukraine, featuring organized and professional soldiers, a chain of command, advanced weapons such as drones and tanks, and state-crafted tactics and strategy. But a parallel war is also taking place, mostly in cyberspace, fueled by …

Read More »

Can Kazakhstan Shed Its Kleptocratic Past?

Fighting Graft in Almaty Will Also Test Western Anticorruption Commitments In January, Kazakhstan was in chaos: mass protests against corruption were spreading across the country, prompting its president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to appeal to Russia to send peacekeepers from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to help restore order. Today, however, …

Read More »

China’s Ukraine Conundrum

Why the War Necessitates a Balancing Act Russia’s war in Ukraine has produced a strategic predicament for China. On the one hand, the conflict has disrupted billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese trade, heightened tensions in East Asia, and deepened political polarization within China by dividing people into pro- and …

Read More »

Tunisian president grants himself power to appoint election authority

The presidential decree to revise the law of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia and change its composition is facing widespread criticism from opposition parties and organizations that accuse Tunisian President Kais Saied of granting himself wide powers that may affect the course of democracy. Tunisian President Kais …

Read More »