Blackouts across Central Asia should be a light-bulb moment for Washington as it seeks to diversify critical-mineral supply chains. An August 14 blackout across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and...
As Western sanctions work to isolate Russia’s economy, Moscow is investing in trade backdoors. The intergovernmental council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) concluded its 47th meeting with the...
The European Union continues to tailor its sanctions net around Russia’s war effort. On July 23, Brussels rolled out its 21st package of economic sanctions targeting Russia. This package, the...
In Kyrgyzstan, criticism of Chinese influence can end in public shaming or an arrest warrant. On July 20, a Kyrgyz presidential administration official published photographs, names, birth dates, and social...
The United States is vulnerable to Chinese control over critical mineral supply chains. To reduce its dependence on Beijing, Washington is increasingly looking to Central Asia. On June 10, U.S. special...
Russia depends on foreign jurisdictions to help it circumvent Western sanctions — but secondary sanctions have raised the cost of abetting this sanctions evasion, deterring at least some facilitation...
The European Union is stepping up enforcement against Russian sanctions evasion. Brussels has now implemented its largest set of designations against Moscow in two years, targeting the Kremlin’s enablers...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to use Moscow’s close ties with Iran to restore calm in the Middle East after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which he condemned as “unprovoked aggression.”...
Saudi Arabia and Qatar aim to reap the commercial rewards of rebuilding Syria now that the devastating civil war has ended and sanctions on Damascus have been lifted. Gulf investments are being deployed...
In its ongoing attacks on religious organizations with the potential to erode Moscow’s sway in its former sphere of influence, Russian intelligence is now stooping to demonological name-calling.
Xi Calls for Multipolar World at SCO Summit: Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic...
Four years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the threat posed by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has expanded beyond the region, now endangering both American and European soil.
One of the biggest threats to human health, and a major source of air pollution, is regularly hidden in statistical reports as “renewable energy:” the burning of dung, wood, and lump coal. While most...
This week marked 25 years of Vladimir Putin’s rule, a milestone the Russian dictator celebrated in a televised address. Boasting of past achievements, he assured Russians, “We can...
On December 8, 2024, rebel forces deposed the regime of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al Assad, after the insurgents stormed through much of the country, retaking various regional capitals and culminating...
Many expected the Kremlin to rejoice in Trump’s victory, but the reaction has been tepid at best. Perhaps the Russians recognize the irreconcilable differences in the US-Russian relationship.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's visit to Iran highlights growing ties between the two nations, as they deepen economic cooperation and strengthen their anti-Western alliance.
So-called free speech activists have jumped to defend Pavel Durov after his arrest, but they conveniently forget Russia’s weaponization of his Telegram platform.