Recent Posts

The China-Russia Condominium In Kazakhstan

In early January 2022, Kazakhstan experienced its worst riots in recent history. Many observers argued that the riots could undermine Chinese interests in this resource-rich country. But the situation is far more complex. Over the past decade, China has emerged as an important economic player in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. …

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Israel’s Bennett Meets Putin in Moscow Over Ukraine Invasion

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, his office said, followed by a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin confirmed Bennett’s snap visit “to discuss the situation surrounding Ukraine,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, in …

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China Needs To Pop Its Property Bubble

The financial woes of the giant real estate developer Evergrande, which carries an estimated debt of $300 billion, have rekindled global fears that China’s property bubble is about to burst. Such predictions have occurred repeatedly in the past, in particular since 2010, and have been fueled by the rapid rise …

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The Russian Oligarchs’ Billions Frozen In Swiss Banks

The Swiss National Bank puts the current value of Russian assets in Switzerland at around CHF10 billion ($11 billion). But the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper believes that the true figure, including the assets of five oligarchs targeted by the sanctions (who have not been named), could amount to as much …

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International Unity Needed To Prevent A Divided Libya – Analysis

Libya is at a perilous crossroads – again. On 1 March, the country’s Tobruk-based parliament, the House of Representatives, voted to endorse a new interim government headed by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, giving it the greenlight to take over from the sitting prime minister, Abdulhamid Dabaiba. The vote’s proponents …

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