Russia
“Solidarity with Russia”: North Korea cements an anti-US bloc
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, North Korea last week welcomed foreign visitors to Pyongyang, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice…
Exploring an end game in Ukraine? Not yet
Nearly 18 months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is little prospect of an early end to the fighting. Ukraine’s long-awaited counter-offensive, now underway, is making…
Cluster munitions: A necessary defensive strategy for Ukraine
Concerns over potential breaches of international humanitarian law in cluster munitions use in Ukraine are based on a misguided interpretation of the legal position. More so, the…
Who leads the world as longest in charge of their country?
Hun Sen heads to the polls in Cambodia this weekend, even though, as Radio Free Asia noted, the result is preordained. Hun Sen will win. Just like he has ever since 1985.
Hun…
Why China tripled its heavy truck shipments to Central Asia: Unravelling the influence of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Trade data shows Central Asia’s imports from China are up sharply, as the region is progressively integrated into a Beijing-Moscow economic axis.
Central Asia is increasingly a…
Why the Black Sea Grain Initiative must be restored
Earlier this week, Russia announced that it would suspend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the landmark diplomatic deal brokered by the United Nations and…
Putin is Xi’s useful idiot
Almost from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine, analysts have debated China’s role in the conflict. The fact that Xi Jinping met Vladimir Putin in Beijing only a few weeks earlier…
How long can Putin’s “special relationship” with Erdoğan last?
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is openly arming and supporting Ukraine, and even publicly humiliating Moscow. Yet Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin has little choice but to…
Beijing’s bad bet on Moscow
Beijing must be suffering from a severe case of buyer’s remorse. China’s leaders may speak the language of steadfast “no limits” support to Moscow, yet they are surely…
Unleashing chaos: Nova Kakhovka Dam destruction threatens global food security
The partial destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region on 6 June represents another blow to global food security.
Located on the transboundary…