Turkmenistan’s Shift Towards The Moscow-Tehran-Beijing Axis

In the ongoing geopolitical conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran’s relations with post-Soviet states—especially those with which it shares a direct border—play a crucial role. The tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan are well-known to experts, same goes for Iran’s close ties with Armenia. However, a less frequently discussed yet highly significant aspect is the nature of Iran’s relationship with the third post-Soviet state with which it shares a border—Turkmenistan.

Monthly Monitoring of Analytical Publications on Post-Soviet Conflicts

PSCRP is launching a program of monthly monitoring of analytical publications from the world's leading universities and think tanks, which in one way or another affect the study of political processes in the former USSR.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 16 (January 2025)

In the first month of 2025, the papers authored by the PSCRP researchers covered a broad range of post-Soviet subregions, including the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, and the Baltics.

Russia: The Karelian Question

Karelia is the only republic within the Russian Federation where Russian is the only state language, while the local language is deprived of any status, whether formal or not. The reason for this is the federal law adopted by the State Duma in 2002, which prohibits the use of any alphabet other than the Cyrillic alphabet for the state languages of the constituent republics of the Russian Federation.

Azerbaijan Crisis Management: A Case Study in Statecraft

The crisis has demonstrated that effective confrontation with Russia requires a delicate balance: maintaining firmness while preserving diplomatic channels. Azerbaijan's handling of the situation offers valuable lessons in modern statecraft, showing that even regional powers can successfully manage conflicts with larger nations through calculated, strategic responses while pursuing concrete diplomatic objectives.

“Separatism”: Russia vs. Komi Ethnic Activists

Over the centuries, the Russian state expanded its ethnic base through the assimilation of Finno-Ugric peoples, the indigenous population of the north of the European part of the present-day Russian Federation and Western Siberia.

Book Discussion: “How Geography and Institutions Shaped the Development of Nations”

The monograph analyzes the intersection of institutions and geography on the examples from various parts of the world, and the impact that different combinations of institutional and geographical systems have on nations’ development.

Azerbaijan: One of the Pillars of Israel’s Regional Security System – A Brief Overview for the Trump Administration

During a December 2024 meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) acknowledged that the U.S. had not fully appreciated Azerbaijan's longstanding support for Israel and contributions to regional stability.

Public discourse in Estonia concerning the Academy of Arts’ anti-Israeli decision

In December 2024, Mart Kalm, the rector of the Estonian Academy of Arts (Eesti Kunstiakadeemia, EKA), announced that this university won’t continue the cooperation with Dr. Jonathan Ventura from Shenkar College in Ramat Gan (Israel), whose course has been in the EKA curriculum since 2019 and should have taken place again in February 2025. Prof. Kalm added that EKA is “no longer open” to cooperation with Israeli universities. There was no clear reasoning behind this.

Kazakhstan’s Policy of Diversifying the Routes of Energy Supplies to Europe: Interests of Israel and the EU

The collective West and Israel could have vested interests in supporting such initiatives. This could lead to the creation of a powerful regional coalition of post-Soviet states, Turkey, the West, and Israel against Iran and Russia, with China likely adopting a neutral stance.