Ukraine’s South as a New Geopolitical Flashpoint
March 7, 2019 6 min. read

  Four factors make further tensions between Russia and Ukraine along the shores of the Crimean peninsula and Azov Sea probable.   On 25 November 2018, at the Kerch Strait, Russia attacked as well as captured three Ukrainian navy vessels, and arrested their 24 sailors. The maritime clash indicates that the focal point of the […]

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Why and How a New Democratization of Russia Can Happen and Be Supported: The West Should Get Ready for and Promote a Different Post-Soviet Future
September 21, 2018 18 min. read

Western comments on Russian domestic and foreign affairs have, during the last years, become more and more gloomy. Among other topics, this pessimistic discourse (to which I too have contributed) features Putin’s neo-imperial plans for the post-Soviet area, the many varieties of post-Soviet Russian ultra-nationalism, the fragility of the geopolitical grey zone between the Kremlin-dominated […]

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President Trump’s War Room on Russia, As If Russia Were Running It
June 11, 2017 5 min. read

Trump is setting up a “war room” to counter the Russia probe. With talk about Russian government tactics for meddling in Western democratic processes, what would the Kremlin do in such a war room?

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Catalysts for Never Ending Attacks
April 5, 2017 3 min. read

Future policies that deeply antagonize communities need to be prevented at all costs. Otherwise, it is unlikely that attacks, such as the one in St. Petersburg, will end.

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Despite Hurdles, Russia’s Eurasian Dream Lives On
February 22, 2017 5 min. read

Economic dependence and shared cultures and borders make it nearly impossible for the former Soviet republics to break ties with the Kremlin without shooting themselves in the foot.

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Trump and al-Sisi Set to Launch Strategic Rapprochement
December 30, 2016 4 min. read

Egypt’s strongman President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi could emerge as one of the potential winners of Trump’s foreign policy strategy in the Middle East.

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Russia is Pushing Israel and Egypt Closer to Each Other
June 29, 2016 4 min. read

Russia’s new status as a pivotal nation in the Middle East’s security environment is pushing Israel and Egypt to rekindle their relations.

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The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict 2.0.
May 31, 2016 3 min. read

The fighting outbreak in Nagorno-Karabakh was the largest since the 1994 Bishkek Protocol ceasefire. However, the situation has now “normalized.”

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The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and geopolitical chessboard of the South Caucasus
April 7, 2016 5 min. read

The recent fighting outbreak in Nagorno-Karabakh, the worst in a twenty years period, reveals a sweeping complexity of the longstanding geopolitical chessboard that is the South Caucasus.

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What a Trump Presidency Could Mean for U.S.-Russia Relations
March 29, 2016 5 min. read

A Donald Trump presidency could certainly bring some positive dynamics to U.S.-Russia relations but will not be a game-changer.

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Does Moldova get a color? How about wine?
April 8, 2009 2 min. read

Ukraine – Orange Revolution Myanmar – Saffron Revolution Georgia – Rose Revolution Lebanon – Cedar Revolution (OK – Cedar isn’t really a color, but it’s quite descriptive) Moldova? All these nations had popular revolts between 2004 and 2007.  The Bush Administration moved quick to give them cute and happy names to express support for them.  […]

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