Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Policy
To save its approval ratings, the Kremlin might be better focusing its energy elsewhere.
Mark Scott & Carlo Martuscelli, Politico EU
On Instagram, the country's Sputnik V account urged people to send photos of themselves to win a trip to Russia. On YouTube, it posted regular updates — in the form of pseudo-news bulletins — on how many countries the Kremlin had signed up. On Twitter, the Russian vaccine
Peter Dickinson, Atlantic Council
Russia has sparked alarm in Ukraine and throughout the international community in recent days by massing its armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. The military build-up has raised fears of a possible Russian offensive that could push beyond the areas of eastern Ukraine currently under Kremlin control and lead to a dramatic escalation in the simmering seven-year conflict between the two countries.
Loren Thompson, Forbes
The island of Taiwan, home to the Republic of China, occupies a pivotal position in Washington's Sino-centric defense strategy.
Pierre Morcos, War on the Rocks
Last November, a Royal Australian Navy base near Perth was the port of call for an unusual patrol composed of two French ships, the nuclear-powered attack submarine Emeraude and the support and assistance vessel Seine. The French patrol trained with the Australian navy before sailing to the South China Sea, where it served as part of France's efforts to challenge China's sweeping maritime claims in the region. In addition to...
Robert Flummerfelt & Judith Verweijen, African Arguments
On 10 March, the US Department of State designated a rebel group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a foreign terrorist organisation. Referring to it as the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC)", it placed the group under strict sanctions. It suggested that the rebel group - also known as Allied...
F. Tastekin, Al Monitor
In part as a result of the Biden administration's shifting policies toward Iran and Washington's decision to temporarily freeze and review weapons sales to Saudi Arabia over the Yemeni war, Ankara is aiming to turn Saudi Arabia's growing international isolation to Turkey's advantage.
R. Dergham, The National
It should come as no surprise that China and Iran signed a 25-year agreement this week. It has been touted many times in recent years, although negotiations over the details have remained a secret. What is interesting, however, is the timing. It comes within 100 days of US President Joe Biden taking office and his desire to reconfigure America's relations with both countries. Now, it seems Beijing and Tehran have moved past the era of fearing US sanctions following the departure of Mr Biden's predecessor... Читать дальше...
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Project Syndicate
Given Myanmar's strategic location, violent turmoil there could destabilize the entire region. Already, the crisis caused by the military coup is shaking a key pillar of regional order, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations split over how to respond.
John Keiger, Spectator
May 5th this year will be the two hundredth anniversary of Napoleon's death on Saint Helena, the tiny island in the south Atlantic where the British confined the Emperor to Longwood House after defeat at Waterloo in 1815. After much hesitation, Emmanuel Macron has decided that France will commemorate the Emperor's place in French history.
Molly Worthen, Politico
Charles Hill wasn't like other professors. He clomped into class attired in a stone-colored suit and motorcycle boots, which inspired much fascinated whispering. (I later learned that he started riding a motorcycle during his years in Saigon.) At first he hung back, assigning one of us to begin discussion. If the student had forgotten to prepare, he did not come to the rescue; he stared, silent, ready to endure the self-conscious flailing for as long as necessary.... Читать дальше...
C. Rondeaux, WPR
For the better part of six years since Russia and Ukraine signed the Minsk II cease-fire accord for the disputed eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, one question has loomed: How will the U.S. and NATO respond if Russian troops again cross back over the so-called Line of Contact, dividing Ukrainian forces from Russian-backed separatists? With reports now trickling in of a buildup of Russian military forces along the border and in Crimea,...
Michael Kofman, MT
Russia's military posturing appears to be primarily coercive and demonstrative in nature.
Ido Vock, New Statesman
Eurosceptic politicians are now more likely to look to Viktor Orbán's Hungary for inspiration than to the UK.
Niall Ferguson, Bloomberg
U.S. policy makers need to wake up to the potential of digital currency and electronic payments and the peril of allowing China to dominate them.
James Holmes, 1945
Riddle me this: does a contender intent on overthrowing the international system harbor "limited" or "unlimited" political goals?
