Tunisia is at a standstill, caught between a democratic transition that has not met the expectations of the population and an economic development undermined by politics and its arbitrary and irrational excesses. The result: a lost decade, during which attempts to pull the country out of its economic slump – annual GDP growth was close…
With the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as head of state in 2016, the internal and foreign policy of Uzbekistan has changed drastically, writes Anwar Nasirov. The leader of Uzbekistan has begun the implementation of a huge range of large-scale reforms aimed at modernizing all spheres of society and the state, which should ensure the sustainable…
Last week UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled an emergency budget to plug the £55 billion black hole in the nation’s finances. He accepted that the last seven years of growth would be erased and that the country will remain in recession for up to two years., writes Philip Bushill-Matthews . In the circumstances he had little…
The world has embarked on the transition to net-zero emissions. The innovative approaches to international cooperation highlighted in the Paris Agreement—which calls for wide cooperation by all countries to meet global reduction targets—are gradually taking shape. Taiwan is willing and able to cooperate with international partners to jointly achieve net-zero transition, mobilize global climate action,…
24 February 2022 was the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The morning that changed the life of every Ukrainian. For many years Russian propaganda tried to change the concept of “war” and its beginning, but the citizens of Ukraine and the world community have long known that a full-scale war was unleashed by…
The historical interest of Central Asia lies in its location at the crossroads of East and West, nestled between empires and bordering areas of conflict and insecurity (such as Afghanistan, China’s Xinjiang province, and Iran). While the region was largely ignored throughout the Cold War, its vitality and importance were quickly rediscovered, writes Derya Soysal….
It is 33 years since the Berlin Wall was torn down, in November 1989. It heralded the break-up of the old Soviet empire and a new hope for the fledgling democracies which would spring up across Central and Eastern Europe, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. Some walls stayed firmly fixed: the ‘Peace Walls’ in Belfast and the…
Despite the gravity of the war in Ukraine, the focus of the new US National Security Strategy is China. The document says plenty about the importance of technology, but ignores the relevance of trade to national security, writes Carl Bildt. The National Security Strategy (NSS) issued by each US administration is always a key document. It…
Lula was elected president with a tight result in a divided and polarised Brazil, along with the most centre-right Congress since 1988. The economy is stagnant and expectations are high. His challenge will now be to stabilise democracy, build economic credibility, put Brazil back at the international stage and reconstruct the environmental and social agenda…
What are the advantages and disadvantages of possible future scenarios for Russia, proposed by various communities. Over the past couple of months, several large-scale discussions about the possible future of Russia have taken place in the information space. All these discussions are united by a single vision of where this future begins. Almost everyone who…
