... begun to play a significant role in international relations
Autumn is usually a busy season in the nuclear sphere, and 2025 was no exception. In October, NATO held its Steadfast Noon nuclear exercises, followed by the U.S. Global Thunder drills and Russia’s strategic nuclear forces exercises. Developments did not end there: against the backdrop of these exercises, Russia
announced
tests of the
Burevestnik
nuclear-powered cruise missile and the
Poseidon
nuclear-powered torpedo, as well as the ...
... Architecture: Five Questions and Five Answers
Regardless of what future visions for international security may hold, their starting point must be ending the ongoing wars. Multiple security hotspots exist worldwide today, but the most pressing threats to overall international security is the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle East. Both crises, in terms of scale and impact, affect not only regional security but also global stability. They have caused divisions and confrontations among nations in international politics,...
Now restraint is giving way to deterrence
In early August, an official statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs put an end to yet another potentially useful arms control instrument: the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles has been lifted. Why did this happen, and what ...
The possibility of a return to extreme-era dynamics cannot be dismissed
The Ukraine conflict may well pave the way for a larger scale Russia-NATO confrontation. While hard to fathom and with everything suggesting that the scenario remains quite unlikely, it relies on nuclear deterrence as its main pillar. But just how effective can it be in averting a conflict?
US President Donald ...
The 2025 summit is a marker of the end of the period of unconditional unification of the Euro-Atlantic community around the “Russian threat”" and very soon the allies will again face the existential question: “Why us?”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s summit is traditionally one of the last events of the spring political season in Europe. In late June—early ...
It is a calculated diplomatic maneuver grounded in national and regional interests
On July 3, 2025, a pivotal moment unfolded in the evolving geopolitics of South and Central Asia. The Russian Federation officially recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan, becoming the first country in the world to do so. This diplomatic breakthrough not only marks a bold shift in Moscow’s foreign policy posture but also opens the door to ...
On July 2, 2025, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), together with St. Petersburg State University (SPbU), held a roundtable discussion on “Increasing Tensions in the Baltic Sea Region: Management Mechanisms.”
On July 2, 2025, the Russian International ...
Strategically, Russia has little to gain and a lot to lose in case the crisis goes deeper
In the early morning of June 24 US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after twelve days of intense airstrikes. The United States itself actively ...
On June 26, 2025, the press center of the Russia Today International Media Agency hosted a RIAC roundtable, “Outcomes of the NATO Summit: Rising Tensions in the Baltic Sea Region?”
On June 26, 2025, the press center of the Russia Today International Media Agency hosted a RIAC roundtable,...
Report No. 99 / 2025
Report No. 99 / 2025
The following report focuses on the Middle Eastern policies of extra-regional actors and their transformation in changing conditions. It concentrates on studying the strategies pursued by Russia, the U.S., the EU, China and India in the Middle East. The report also examines how Middle Eastern countries perceive extra-regional actors as they aspire to build pragmatic and balanced relationships with external partners.
Extra-Regional Actors ...
