It is no surprise that the latest development in the prolonged dispute over the import of EU-produced foodstuffs into Russia should be connected to the horsemeat-scandal that has erupted in the Union in past weeks. This time, Chief Sanitary Inspector Gennady Onishchenko threatens the suspension of all meat imports from Russia’s largest trading…

 
The tense situation over North Korea’s nuclear program continues to escalate. Last year it proclaimed itself a nuclear state in its constitution and then successfully launched a space rocket that is only a little different from one that could carry a warhead. If this months’ test was indeed nuclear then it can be considered as…

My name is Gina Byrne, I am a master’s student studying at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. I spent the first year of this two year degree at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in University College London. As part of my degree, I am undertaking an internship at the Russian International Affairs Council where I am…

In previous article we pointed out that players of a “New Great Game” are usually divided into two groups - US, UK and NATO, and Russia, China and SCO. As we described principles that form US strategy, it’s necessary to do the same thing with those who play on the “other side”of the game. Russia’s and China’s…

Israel’s parliamentary elections in late January delivered a result that will see Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remain in power. RIAC Member Pyotr V. Stegny, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, talks about the future of Israel's foreign policy and prospects for a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict…

 
 
Dr. Rico Isaacs is an expert in Central Asian politics and a senior lecturer in International Studies at the Oxford Brookes University. His research concerns the political sociology of Central Asia in particular the interaction between formal and informal politics, institutions and practices and the discursive construction and…

During the process of preparing and researching for my dissertation «The Role of Eastern Energy Strategy in the Russian Foreign Policy: Opportunities and Threats» at the HSE, I was introduced to this insightful publication «Energy Outlook Until 2035». Today I wish to share its findings and conclusions with anyone who is…

Ukraine’s foreign policy towards its Eastern and Western neighbours could ultimately lead to broader international consequences that one would expect. Its decision to sign the Association agreement with the European Union or joining the Customs Union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, might take the story of one of the sides much deeper than to…

 
As the world continues to scuffle against the most severe economic crisis, optimism remains thin in the air, conceivably as uncertainty is easier to sell. The IMEMO RAN forum was no different, as industry specialists pleaded for more assistance whilst the government officials naturally attempted to ignite market confidence. At the end, one…

 
A couple of decades ago North Korea was a country barely noticeable to anyone in the world. Today it is on everyone’s radar screen. And its leader Kim Jong-un, “the sun of the 21st century”, brightly shined in headlines of all morning papers after North Korea conducted its third most powerful nuclear test on February 12. The…

Gay marriages legalization, implementation of 75% tax are not the only reasons why the name of new French president Francois Hollande lately appears so often in the top lines of the magazines. Mr Hollande has proved himself to be not only an ardent fighter for the rights of homosexuals but seems like he is also trying to rehabilitate himself in terms…

The concept of Central Asia being a geographical pivot of history was first introduced to public in 1904 by sir Halford John Mackinder. Nowadays geopolitical schemes are still based on the “geographical” part of that idea.
 
We can argue a lot about the “pivotal” part of Mackinder’s concept, but the…