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 …
Read More »Russia’s Response to Unrest in Kazakhstan: Risk Versus Reward
The Russian-led ‘peacekeeping’ operation has helped to restore state order, but how will it respond to an escalation of violence? The outbreak of unrest across Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2022 took international audiences by surprise. The protests, which were triggered by rising fuel prices, quickly morphed into demonstrations across …
Read More »To Help Central Asia, Engage with Muslim Civil Society
Kazakhstan’s violence emphasizes the relevance of often overlooked communities. Kazakhstan’s violent upheaval this month underscores that governments and international organizations need to more effectively help Central Asia’s 76 million people build responsive, effective governance across their five nations. Mass protests or communal violence also have struck Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan …
Read More »What to Make of Kazakhstan’s Seemingly Sudden Unrest
As Moscow deploys troops at the behest of its Central Asian neighbor, where do Kazakhstan’s explosive protests go from here? What started last week as a protest against fuel price increases has quickly turned into a nationwide movement that is taking aim at Kazakhstan’s elite political and economic leaders — …
Read More »Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Dispute Heats Up
Taliban’s repudiation of Pakistan’s position on the Durand Line challenges a pillar of Pakistan’s security policy. In at least two incidents in late December and early January, Afghan Taliban soldiers intervened to block an ongoing Pakistani project to erect fencing along the shared border between Afghanistan and Pakistan — the …
Read More »Bill Taylor on the Ukraine Crisis
What started as Russian saber-rattling along the Ukrainian border last April has now evolved into a fully-fledged international crisis, created entirely by Moscow: An attempt to force concessions from the United States and NATO by threatening to invade Ukraine. When Russia first began amassing troops along the Ukrainian border, some …
Read More »America, Russia and NATO look for New Frontiers of Influence
Why the Lessons of History are Ignored America, Russia and NATO’s Geneva diplomatic talks ended in failure without any formal course of action to avoid military confrontation on Ukraine’s border. Other vital issues include how to treat each other in a futuristic imaginary encounter of common interests. The global community …
Read More »As Cryptocurrency Becomes Mainstream, Its Carbon Footprint Can’t Be Ignored
As Bitcoin prices rise, so will the incentive to mine it, creating a feedback loop that spells trouble for the climate. For advocates of cryptocurrency, the promise of an economic future that is managed by a blockchain (a decentralized database that is shared among the nodes of a computer network, …
Read More »Paris attacks accused Mohamed Abrini shrugs off damning evidence
Wednesday’s testimony from Mohamed Abrini, who is charged with complicity in the Paris attacks, focused on the suspect’s 2015 journey from Belgium to the Islamic State heartland in Syria, and his return via London, Birmingham, Manchester and Paris. According to Mohamed Abrini, it’s all very simple. He went to Syria …
Read More »Washington’s Missing China Strategy
To Counter Beijing, the Biden Administration Needs to Decide What It Wants The Biden administration has repeatedly identified China as the United States’ foremost foreign policy challenge. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has referred to China as the Pentagon’s top priority. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described China as …
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