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Brief

Brief: The Limits of Belarusian Reforms

Background: Following Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s questionable reelection and major protests last year, it was clear to Minsk that changes were necessary to preserve...

Brief: Franco-Italian Ties

Background: France has long competed with Germany for leadership in the European Union. Germany, of course, is too strong for France to compete with...

Brief: Russia Tries to Block US Plans for Central Asia

Background: Since the United States began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have been gaining strength and neighboring countries have been increasingly concerned...

Brief: Russia Accuses Ukraine of Smuggling Fuel

Background: Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been severely strained for years. Russia wants to bring Ukraine, part of the buffer between it and...

Brief: Complications in South Asia

Background: Despite what a map may say, there are large swaths of land throughout South and Central Asia where no one is fully in...

Brief: US Sides With Southern Europe on EU Spending Rules

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic devastated European economies, but it also created opportunities for the bloc to reform its fiscal rules. The existing framework, which...

Brief: Cuban Protests

Background: The Cuban government is one of few relics of the Cold War still standing. The communist government put in place by Fidel Castro...

Brief: Belarusian Regime Critic Reappears on Twitter

Background: Belarus, an important buffer between Russia and NATO, has recently come under sanctions pressure from the West due to Minsk’s human rights violations as...

Brief: A Potential Russian Naval Base Divides Sudan

Background: The Red Sea and Indian Ocean are important energy and trade routes, and thus competition for access to them among the great powers...

Brief: Watching for Russian Financial Instability

Background: Even before the pandemic, Russia’s economy was struggling under the weight of sanctions and the low price of oil, which remains Russia’s main...

Brief: An Arab Bloc in the Making?

Background: Since the end of World War II, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and other Arab countries in the Middle East have been exploring the possibility...

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