... formation and development of Afghanistan and stability of Afghan people would materially mean a lot in terms of strengthening sustainable stability in Afghanistan as well as in the region.Eurasian interests The strategic niche of the Russia and the Central Asian States is interdependent; therefore, their multilateral and collective engagement for the interests cannot be avoided. There are at least four key cornerstones of Eurasian concerns about the post international pullout scenario, which include ...
Out of five Central Asian countries two still have the same leaders for more than 20 years, one faced its president’s death and transition from one “cult of personality” to another. As remaining eternal leaders age, more and more rumors about their ...
Targeted policymakers’ actions can make the future along the southern borders of Russia either catastrophic or almost acceptable
Post-Soviet Central Asia is one of the key regions for Russian interests in the areas of national security and economic development. The forthcoming pullout of the International Security Assistance Force in 2014 from neighboring Afghanistan makes the situation in ...
... the second post in this special series and once again I am joined by the Head of Oil and Gas at the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tatiana Mitrova. We discuss: sinicisation, geopolitical mistrust, energy deals, the Central Asian Ace & more! Please, feel free to comment & enjoy!
Personal Note:
This is the second post in a two-part special with one of the leading Russian experts on energy matters, Dr. Tatiana Mitrova. To view the first part of this series ...
Report #10 / 2013
The purpose of this analytical report prepared in the framework of the project “Central Asia after a Possible Withdrawal of Coalition Forces from Afghanistan” undertaken by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) is to make an attempt to identify the actual position of Central Asia on the scale of Russian foreign policy ...
Banking Risks in Central Asia
The widely discussed post-crisis settlement in the financial sector, the European sovereign debt situation and the Cypriot banking crisis have experts of all kinds riveted to financial issues, while the new Grand Game in Asia is attracting ...
Euro-Russian relations have strained over the recent years in energy matters as certain vested interests shifted perceptions into the realm of what I would express as logical fallacies – technically making sense to a degree, but only when numerous caveats are applied. In this post issues like energy weaponry (enormous logical fallacy in my opinion), market reforms, looming contract litigation, energy security, shale revolution and domestic challenges will be discussed. In this post I am joined...
Interview with Dr. Robert M. Cutler, Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of European, Russian & Eurasian Studies at Carleton University
Interview
The strategic importance of Central Asia and its vast energy resources draw a lot of external interest to it. Russia traditionally has been the strongest outside player in in the region. But now China’s active involvement in energy sector of Central Asia is quickly increasing ...
... torn between its long-standing Western ties and its Neo-Ottoman future. The tension between pragmatic ties with the West and the Kremlin’s determination to preserve Russian’s “sphere of privileged interests” in the Caucasus and Central Asia are palpable. In the South and East of its vast country, Moscow acts more like a neo-imperial power. Like Beijing and (to a much lesser extent) Ankara, it operates a tributary system with smaller neighbours, providing “security” ...
Causes for concern for the Russian political elite
Central Asia is presently a vital area for world politics. The 9/11 acts of terror in New York and Washington showed that the collapse of states in this region as they lose control over their national borders may have serious repercussions for other parts ...
