Thomas de Waal, Carnegie Europe
Azerbaijan has long been an island of unchanging continuity, but a generational overhaul is underway. With mounting expectations and a resurgent opposition, 2020 will be a testing year for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Leonid Bershidsky, B'berg
An odd attack on the common currency from an eastern European central banker comes with a hidden agenda.
Stratfor Worldview
After a quarter-century of isolation, Uzbekistan is increasingly open for business. Balancing against the great powers, however, is set to prove a challenge.
Tatyana Stanovaya, Moscow Times
Amid the uncertainty over what will happen when Putin steps down in 2024, everyone is striving to claim a spot in the sun.
Connor Dilleen, ASPI
Countries across the Middle East are facing a bleak future of declining rainfall, diminishing surface- and groundwater supplies, and increasing desertification.
Tom Kibasi, Guardian
A Tory election victory would cement Brexit grievances, giving heft to the SNP's case, says writer and researcher Tom Kibasi
Victor Davis Hanson, Natl. Review
The president bets that a booming economy, a beefed-up military, and U.S. energy dominance will deter enemies without the need for preemptive invasions.
Mike Chinoy, Yale Global
Hong Kong barred a 23-year-old man from running for a seat on a local district council that has no real power to pass legislation. Joshua Wong, an activist who supports the protests in Hong Kong, recently testified before US Congress, lobbying for a bill that would heighten scrutiny of human rights violations in Hong Kong. To the surprise of many observers, the authorities have allowed a number of prominent activists to pass a vetting process conducted by local civil servants and register as candidates... Читать дальше...
Dara Salam, Atlantic Council
The defining feature of the protests in Baghdad which started on October 1 and spread to other cities in southern Iraq is that they were neither led nor called for by a religious authority (also known as the marja'iya) or another leader. When the first wave of protests began in multiple cities, the protesters' message
Robert Zaretsky, Foreign Affairs
For times of extremity, Albert Camus prescribed clear language and modest virtues.
Toby Dalton & Gaurav Kalwani, WOTR
In February 2019, India and Pakistan came dangerously close to the brink of catastrophe. After a terrorist bombing in Kashmir, India carried out air
Andrew Roberts, Time
From Churchill to Napoleon, historian Andrew Roberts on what makes leaders win.