Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken longer than Russian President Vladimir Putin expected. Amid a prolonged conflict, Gabrielle Reid and Markus Korhonen examine the widespread shocks across various industries likely to have a long-lasting impact on the global economy.
Facing its most acute demonstrations since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan witnessed a crucible of political tensions at the start of the new year. While police violence and the presence of foreign peacekeepers seem to have subdued the momentum of the popular protests against the country’s ruling elite and oligopolistic structures, Osob Dahir…
The arrests of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in China in December 2018, just days after Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Vancouver, were undoubtedly linked. Despite China’s espionage allegations against the pair and their subsequent convictions, they were released shortly after Meng was…
2021 saw a number of key developments on the war front, from Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban to the dramatic turnaround in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. With little in terms of resolution to armed conflicts across the globe, 2022 is likely to see war remain a major threat in parts of Asia, Africa, Middle East, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe, with…
An increase in terrorism-related incidents in 2020 may indicate, at face value, an increase in militant activity in Russia, but the reality is more complex, writes Saif Islam.
In recent years, bomb threats targeting airliners have usually turned out to be hoaxes, but their impact on airlines and travellers can be significant, writes Darren Davids.
Russia’s apparent reduced willingness to pursue military options in its neighbourhood suggests a shift in how it conducts its foreign policy. Cvete Koneska argues that this should not be read as a sign of Russia in retreat; instead, we can expect Russia to employ a more diverse toolbox to achieve its foreign policy objectives.
Many organised crime groups in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) continued their kidnapping and extortion activities largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Darren Davids. However, opportunistic criminals have capitalised on newly implemented Covid-19 restrictions and will seek to extort travellers.
After winning allegedly fraudulent elections, incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko accused Belarusian opposition of attempting a coup amid mass protests. Although opposition leaders seek legal and democratic channels for power transfer, sporadic anti-government demonstrations will likely continue, writes Erin Drake.
Paul Whelan’s arrest and subsequent conviction for espionage in Russia has raised concerns over the use of detention as a tool for political manoeuvring on the international arena. Cvete Koneska argues that Russia’s recent record suggests foreign nationals visiting the country will face a growing risk of wrongful detention.
The COVID-19 outbreak has led to worldwide travel bans and restrictions as well as nearly a complete stop in global passenger air traffic, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded in foreign countries. Saif Islam highlights the varied challenges of evacuating and repatriating people amid the pandemic.
Active assailant incidents, in which the attacker targets their victims in an arbitrary manner, understandably attract high levels of media attention when they occur at schools. While several such incidents have taken place in recent years including in 2019, they continue to be relatively rare occurrences.