Russia
Is Russia really European anymore?
The Russian government issued a strategic planning document on foreign policy in March 2023, a year after troops rolled across the Ukraine border for a full-scale invasion. The…
Surprise and modern war
Prussian military officer and theorist Carl von Clausewitz once wrote, “surprise lies at the foundation of all undertakings without exception, only in very different degrees…
Central Asia's energy drive spurs regional integration
For decades, Russia, China, and the West have been vying for influence in Central Asia. But in spite of their ambitions to bolster their presence in this strategically important…
Explaining Ukraine’s hopes with a bold attack in Kursk – and how it might backfire, badly
August, supposedly a quiet summer holiday month in Russia, has instead often witnessed key events in the country’s recent history.Recall the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev…
The deadly consequences of misclassifying foreign fighters in Ukraine
The legal classification of an estimated 20,000 foreign fighters from 52 countries participating directly in the Ukraine hostilities is not just a question of semantics…
Does democracy still matter in the ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China?
Robin Niblett, a former director of British think tank Chatham House, has published a new book that has received high praise from notables such as Hillary Clinton, Kevin Rudd and…
The global evolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The annual meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – the political, economic, security and defence organisation established by China and Russia in 2001 – have long…
Modi’s Moscow miscalculation
Narendra Modi’s recent summit with Vladimir Putin was met with understandable outrage. Pictures of the Indian Prime Minister bearhugging the Russian President and receiving Russia…
Putin’s diplomacy roadshow in North Korea and Vietnam
North Korea’s decision to revive a 1961 alliance treaty with Russia during President Vladimir Putin’s visit in June is probably the country’s most remarkable diplomatic feat…
Putin goes to Pyongyang: Should we be worried?
In Pyongyang last month Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a new strategic treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.This was Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang in 24…