What the Olympic doping scandal says about the decline of Putin’s Russia
Drug taking in sport can be seen as a metaphor for the country’s ills: denial, bluster and blame providing a recipe for isolation and stagnation
Wider Europe
Spain’s balancing act with Russia
The weakening of common European positions, with some key Spanish allies making overtures to Moscow, could weaken their mitigating force against a mix of isolationist and Realpolitik temptations, influential in Madrid
European security concerns bring Russian mafia back onto agenda
For Moscow, Russian-based criminal networks provide an unconventional asset in the geopolitical struggle with the West
Turkey’s failed coup changes nothing and yet everything
Turkey's counter-coup has concentrated state power in the hands of President Erdogan, thrown state services into turmoil and unsettled Turkey's allies.
Voices on Ukraine, voice of Ukraine: Zoryan Kiss
ECFR’s head of the Madrid office, Francisco de Borja Lasheras, speaks with Zoryan Kiss, an LGBT activist in Ukraine, about progress of LGBT rights in…
NATO and Russia – what about the Black Sea?
What should be done in order to deter Russia from further aggression in this strategic area?
Why coups suck for America
The US-Turkey relationship will fail to evolve into a true alliance of trust and thus be of limited use in defeating ISIS or ending the civil war with the Kurds in Turkey
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: Turkey’s failed coup
ECFR’s Director Mark Leonard speaks with Policy Fellow Asli Aydintasbas and Research Director Jeremy Shapiro about the failed coup against Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan…
Western solidarity with Ukraine: Do it yourself
Kyiv is making a dangerous mistake in confusing western solidarity with unconditional support for the Ukrainian government and its policies
Managing the unmanageable: Germany and a resurgent Russia
In the face of large refugee inflows Germany’s insurgent parties are sympathising with Russia, even despite the country’s meddling in German domestic affairs.