Clearing the Air: Secretary Blinken Visits Ukraine
Image license/credit Secretary Blinken’s recent visit to Ukraine stands out in a number of ways. Blinken had not been in Ukraine for exactly a year, since September 8, 2022. This…
Ensuring Genuine Results? A New Electoral Design in Uzbekistan
PONARS Eurasia Commentary | Uzbekistan is undergoing its first constitutional reforms since Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s accession to power in 2016, marking another important change to its political structure. The president has…
Ukraine, Taiwan, and Macron’s “Strategic Autonomy”
PONARS Eurasia Commentary | In Europe, one now wonders whether President Emmanuel Macron and his “strategic autonomy” proposal caused damage to the political and military cohesion of the West on…
Russia’s Regional Governors: Backing the War, Upholding the Status Quo
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) Experts have been actively discussing the Russian domestic factors that could influence the course of the war. Considering the country’s territorial size and diversity, the stability of…
The Desire to Possess: Russia’s War for Territory
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) We know (or think we know) what rationales lie behind Russian lies and propaganda about the “fight against Nazism in Ukraine” or the “existential threat to Russia…
Kyiv-Washington Relations in Times of Colossal War: The Ultimate Test of a Strategic Partnership
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) Ukraine is facing a critical, existential crisis, and the United States stands as its most crucial ally. Over thirty years, bilateral relations went through ups and downs…
Prevailing Soviet Legacies
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) The “curse” of the Soviet legacy continues to permeate post-Soviet nations in many ways. For instance, the Russian leadership actively draws on the Soviet past to justify…
In Russia’s Nuclear Messaging to West and Ukraine, Putin Plays Both Bad and Good Cop
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) Should a nuclear war “never be unleashed?” Can nuclear weapons be used to “ensure the safety of the Russian people?” Both, according to President Vladimir Putin, who…
Ukraine’s Asymmetric Responses to the Russian Invasion
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) When can a weaker actor win against a far stronger player? For decades, Russian military experts and political elite have suggested that Russia should use asymmetric means…
Dominating Ukraine’s Sky
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) The demands to provide a no-fly zone (NFZ) over Ukraine will most probably not lead to its introduction. Yet, they need to continue as they might be…
Russian Anti-War Protests and the State’s Response
(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) With the rise in anti-war protests in Russia, you may be wondering what will happen to the protestors. Last summer, I wrote a policy memo that outlined…
Путин и Лукашенко
Поддержка Лукашенко президентом Путиным – тактическая и стратегическая ошибка, как её не разбирай. ПОДДЕРЖКА ЛУКАШЕНКО Поддержка Лукашенко президентом Путиным – тактическая и стратегическая ошибка, как её не разбирай. Непонятно, каким…