Before the January 2022 riots, Kazakhstan was a model for managing transitions of power in the post-Soviet world. The leaders of Russia and Belarus will be furiously taking notes on how to avoid a similar fate
The EU should respond to the Russian threat to Ukraine by making use of its main strength – economic influence. There is no other way for the union to persuade the great powers struggling over Europe’s future that it is a force to be reckoned with
For France, European sovereignty was at the heart of the recent talks at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest. Paris aims to reinforce Europeans’ position of strength, while doing its utmost to avoid war
Turkey would attempt to sit on the fence if conflict breaks out in Ukraine. But with domestic challenges rising at home, Recep Tayyip Erdogan may not be able to withstand the pressure from either Russia or NATO allies
Europeans too often see strategy in Russia’s tactical use of regional crises. The EU and member states should help eastern partners become more resilient in the face of such opportunism
Moscow’s armed presence on Ukraine’s border may be connected to Vladimir Putin’s long-standing desire to discuss and change Europe’s geopolitical order
Many European leaders do not seem to grasp the seriousness of this moment in the Ukrainian conflict. Unless the West makes a greater effort to counter Russian military coercion, there is no guarantee that Russia will stop with Ukraine
Russia is mobilising its forces, but much more covertly than in the past. Moscow’s belief that the EU and US will not step in to protect Ukraine could lead it to take direct military action