Israel, the Middle East, and the Russian Public Opinion Part 2: What Russians Think of Israeli War with HAMAS and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

It is hard to ignore that the war Israel is waging with the support of the U.S. and its Western allies against the terrorist alliance of Iran and its radical Islamist proxies – including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq – has mirrored in the ideological, political, and diplomatic discourse around post-Soviet conflicts, especially the Russian-Ukrainian and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts.

Lithuania Prepares for the Worst Scenario

In January 2024, three Baltic States agree to establish a common defence zone on their borders with Russia and Belarus. It represents concerns about security in the region. The border of Lithuania and Latvia with Russia and Belarus, and the border of Estonia with Russia could be evaluated as a new line of cold confrontation between Moscow and the Western world.

Israel, the Middle East, and the Russian Public Opinion Part 1: Russian View of the Jewish State

A year has passed since the beginning of the war that Israel, with the support of its allies, primarily the United States, has been waging against the "Axis of Evil"—an anti-Western alliance consisting of Iran, its satellites (Syria, Iraq), and terrorist proxies that have effectively taken control of their respective regions

Georgia’s Foreign Policy at Odds and Geopolitical Turbulence Scenarios after the Parliamentary Elections

The Georgia’s political situation remains strained and has turned into a real geopolitical dilemma. Formally, the incumbent authority of Georgia, led by the ruling party "The Georgian Dream," has cut off relations with the EU and the USA. The Charter on Strategic Partnership between Georgia and the USA, signed on January 9, 2008, is no longer active. Even the date of the complete breakdown in relations has been set for May 30, 2024.

Ethnic Tensions and Blood Vengeance Rise in the North Caucasus Amid Wildberries Dispute

In continuation of the conflict surrounding Wildberries, on October 10, 2024, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, accused Senator from Dagestan, Suleiman Kerimov, and two State Duma deputies, Bekhan Barakhoev and Rizvan Kurbanov, of plotting to assassinate him. The statement was made during a meeting with representatives of Chechnya’s security forces. Kadyrov claimed there were witnesses who confirmed an attempt to arrange his murder. He also demanded that the named individuals prove to him that they were not involved in the assassination plot. Otherwise, he threatened them with blood vengeance.

Jews and Jewish Ethno-politics in Independent Ukraine in Times of Peace And in Times of War

By the beginning of the 19th century, Ukraine was home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, which played a huge role in the Jewish national revival movement that culminated in the creation of the State of Israel. Suffice it to mention the names of prominent cultural, political and military figures of the Jewish state born in Ukraine to understand how great is the historical influence of Ukrainian Jewry on modern Israel.

Iran Fights for Influence in the post-Soviet Space: Turkic States Are Cautious

The war in Ukraine has substantially weakened Russia's position in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus, requiring an increasing amount of resources to sustain. Iran is endeavoring to fill the power vacuum that Russia left in these post-Soviet regions while simultaneously exercising caution to prevent conflict. Tehran is committed to the economic integration of the post-Soviet republics in these regions, with an emphasis on fortifying its relationships with the Eurasian Economic Union.

Chechnya And Ingushetia: Brotherly Hate

On September 18, official Russian media reported about a shooting in the heart of the Russian capital, near the head office of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace. It was a violent attempt to seize assets in the style of the 1990s — a brief period of relative democracy in Russia, marked at the same time by wars between armed gangster groups vying for spheres of influence. Russian media abroad immediately rushed to declare the “return of the wild 1990s” as one of the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 12 (September 2024)

In September 2024, the Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Program focused on two broad regional clusters, namely Russia and the South Caucasus.

What Are the Expectations of the Caucasus from the U.S. Elections?

Recently, there has been more and more talk about a multipolar world: the U.S. hegemony established after the Cold War is allegedly over, and the country can no longer claim global domination. This is a delusion— the U.S. still surpasses all other countries in terms of resources, finance, technology and military power. However, to maintain this leadership, it must hold its ground in all these areas.

PSCRP