Who is winning on human rights at the UN?
The gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this week will be punctuated by angry statements on the Syrian…
Russia
Multilateralism: Moscow rules?
With Russia due to play a central role in multilateral institutions over the next two years, its obstructionism over Syria does not bode well. However Europeans may find – to their benefit – that it is actually China that calls the shots on the international stage.
Don’t give up on politics in Syria
As civil war engulfs Syria talk of politics and diplomacy has fallen silent. But the West should be redoubling its political and diplomatic efforts, even as it offers indirect support for the arming of the rebels in Syria.
BRICS may find common ground, but India must stand up for itself
This week's BRICS summit may be a shop window for the potency of the world's rapidly rising global powers, but on closer inspection there is a startling lack of unity between them.
Fog in Moscow
Vladimir Putin is set to reassume the reins of power in the Kremlin. But what will Russia's foreign policy be, and how should the European Union and its member states react?
Power and Weakness in Putin’s Russia
Vladimir Putin’s support machine was strong enough to guarantee him victory in the presidential election. But Putin’s strength is the weakness of the opposition and he should be worried by the divisions within his own government.
Europe’s role in fighting corruption in Russia
The re-election of Vladimir Putin presents the EU with an opportunity to encourage reform in Russia. It should set up an EU-Russia anti corruption dialogue and work harder to prevent the proceeds of corruption ending up in Europe.
How Putin ran out of ideas and won
Russia has changed and Vladimir Putin has run out of ideas. Although he will still win the Russian presidential election, Putin faces the biggest ever challenge to his power once he re-enters the Kremlin.
Russia’s liberal-nationalist cocktail: elixir of life or toxic poison?
Young, liberal figures such as Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Milov are building bridges between democratic and nationalist wings of the protest movement. Will this marriage prove a mix that mobilises a nation against the Putin regime, or will it taint the legitimacy of both sides in years to come?
The year of the HUBRICS
With Europe and much of the West facing a seemingly painful decline, attention continues to shift to the BRICS and the world's other rising powers. But are these countries overplaying their hands as the cracks begin to show in their economic virility?