Opinion
MACRO ADVISORY: Mongolia on the mend
Mongolia has faced several major crises over the past five years. It has survived and has adapted to some or is in the process of adapting to others. Today, the country is more stable, politically and economically, than it has been for a long time.
ASH: Ukraine funding - what a s**t show
Excuse my French but the EC’s push to assure Ukraine’s financing, and to keep it in the war, despite the US pulling back, is turning into a bit of a shit show.
COMMENT: Putin's India visit signals push for major overhaul in relations
In FY2024-25 Russia's bilateral trade with India was propelled almost entirely by New Delhi's voracious appetite for discounted Russian crude
EU foreign policy shifts to eastern neighbourhood under von der Leyen
Brussels increased focus on Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans while scaling back engagement in other regions, says new analysis by Carnegie Europe.
Kyrgyzstan’s Japarov aims to “subjugate parliament” in Sunday snap poll prior to bid for presidential second term, says analyst
Speculation grows, meanwhile, power struggle between leader and “people’s general” Tashiyev is ahead.
Could Russia come to accept Turkish boots on the ground in Ukraine ceasefire?
As always with Moscow-Ankara relations, it’s complicated.
RAGOZIN: Why opposition to Trump’s 28-point peace plan is endangering the very existence of Ukraine
Aggressive escapism might not be a legitimate psychological term, but it is the best way to describe the opposition to the 28-point peace plan for Ukraine pushed by Trump’s administration.
COMMENT: China’s choreographed fury at Japan is backfiring
Beijing, with every threat pushes Japan further out of China’s orbit and deeper into a security posture Beijing will one day wish it had not provoked.
COMMENT: Iran’s twelve-day war with Israel has pushed Tehran deeper into Moscow’s arms
Iran’s twelve-day war with Israel has pushed Tehran even closer to Moscow and led to new cooperation agreements, including increased weapons supplies and closer cooperation in the nuclear sector.
COMMENT: Is the EU deliberately trying to scupper the US peace plan or is it just incompetent?
After the talks in Geneva the 28-point peace plan (28PPP) has been cut to 19 points. But the EU has come up with its own 24-point plan that contains several points that guarantee the Kremlin will reject it.
Economic pressures fuelling support for rightwing populists in Emerging Europe, says analyst
Recent elections show rightwing populism is “alive and kicking” in East European countries in 2025, says Mak Kasapovic, Eastern Europe analyst at Oxford Analytica.
MACRO ADVISORY: Will dark water take the shine off Kyrgyzstan’s golden growth?
The Kyrgyz Republic has reported average annual GDP growth of 9% for the past three years and will again be close to that growth in 2025. But while the economy is doing well, Kyrgyzstan and its neighbours are facing a major power and water crisis.
UBN: Ukraine’s war of drones reaches a new level
The war of drones has reached a level that was impossible to predict just a short time ago. The Western allies are completely unaware of the current military landscape as they talk about defending their borders from a new model of warfare.
COMMENT: Russia’s impossible budget plan for 2025
Russia’s Finance Ministry has projected a federal budget deficit of RUB5.7tn ($63.6bn) in 2025, or 2.6% of GDP, based on expected expenditures of RUB42.8tn and revenues of RUB37.1. But it will probably miss even this inflated target.
Corruption and lack of competitiveness threaten fast-track EU enlargement
wiiw study says candidate countries must accelerate deep economic and institutional reforms if they hope to meet ambitious timelines for EU accession.
UBN: Energoatom scandal hurts Ukraine, benefits the Kremlin
The $100bn Energoatom corruption scandal that broken on November 10 has caused outrage in Ukraine. It has hurt Ukraine's reputation and benefited the Kremlin, says UBN's editorial team.
COMMENT: Finland’s President Stubb lists the three obstacles to a Ukraine ceasefire
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has warned that a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine is unlikely to materialise before spring, and urged Western allies to sustain support for Kyiv despite recent corruption scandals.
COMMENT: Trump was “sent by heaven”, Russia is a “God-given” neighbour, says Kazakhstan’s president. What's cooking?
With White House and Kremlin visits in the space of six days, pressure was on Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to pull off a masterclass in multi-vector foreign policy.
COMMENT: Ukraine slowly wearing down Russia's oil industry
Russia’s oil industry, long seen as the bedrock of the country’s economic strength, is being slowly degraded—not by sanctions or falling demand, but by the persistent and methodical pressure of Ukraine’s drone attacks.
Armenia’s 2026 election set to be battleground for competing Western and Russian influence
Carnegie Europe commentary says 2026 general election to determine whether Armenia continues its pivot toward the West or reverses course under pressure from Moscow and powerful diaspora networks.