Eurasia

The current crisis between Russia and Ukraine has put the United States and its European allies on high alert over the possibility of the first major interstate military conflict in Europe since World War II. Although efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis continue, the room for a …

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 …

Two stories out of Italy have attracted international attention this week: The country’s chaotic election of its president, and a controversial video conference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian business leaders. Both highlighted the ways in which Italy, which could play an important role in the European Union on …

What happened? The Lebanese lira’s value continued to diminish, reaching a record low and prompting the central bank to announce a new initiative aimed at currency stabilisation. Shiite parties Hizbollah and Amal ended their months-long boycott of cabinet meetings. Why does it matter? Lebanon’s economic crisis continued to worsen with …

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that Western countries “are ready for a serious dialogue with Russia on European security issues” but also are looking for Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate his threat of an imminent invasion of Ukraine. Scholz offered a new opening to the Kremlin after meeting …

Over the weekend we heard that the US is evacuating its embassy in Kiev for fear of a Russian invasion. We also heard that Russia is evacuating its embassy in Kiev for fear of a US-backed provocation in eastern Ukraine that may lead to a Russian military response. We are …

Tensions are growing between Russia and the West on the Ukrainian border where Putin has deployed 100000 troops and in response, the Biden administration has deployed 3000 troops in Eastern Europe.. The divisive nature of the Ukraine crisis suggests that Kyiv has nonetheless struggled to forge an independent path–torn between …

The Middle East strategy of China is gradually progressing. Recently, an official agreement between the governments of Iran and China brought the 25-year comprehensive cooperation treaty into effect, while Syria signed an understanding to join the Belt and Road Initiative. Massive trade and investment initiatives have helped China establish itself …

Today we face an avoidable crisis that was predictable, actually predicted, willfully precipitated, but easily resolved by the application of common sense. We are being told each day that war may be imminent in Ukraine. Russian troops, we are told, are massing at Ukraine’s borders and could attack at any …

Biden’s decision — reportedly coordinated with Turkey but reached without consulting Israel, Greece or Cyprus, the main countries involved in the project — undercuts three of the strongest American allies in the Mediterranean region. EastMed’s cancellation — variously described as a “disastrous decision,” a “strategic mistake” and an act of …