Central Asia

Daily Memo: European Defense, US Presence in Syria

Geopolitical Futures - February 13, 2026

NATO meeting. Increasing the independence of European NATO members was a top focus for defense ministers at an alliance summit in Brussels on Thursday. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, who attended in place of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stressed the need for allies to assume primary responsibility for European defense. Ministers also […]

Daily Memo: US-China Dialogue, Tehran’s Message

Geopolitical Futures - February 5, 2026

Exchanging views. In a call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping referred to Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in bilateral...

Daily Memo: Central Asian Affairs, Xi-Putin Meeting

Geopolitical Futures - February 4, 2026

Focus on Central Asia. The U.S. envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, is visiting Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan this week. In Bishkek, Gor...

Daily Memo: US-Iran Dialogue, Russia-China Meeting

Geopolitical Futures - February 2, 2026

U.S.-Iran dialogue. Ankara is working to establish a channel of indirect communication between the United States and Iran, Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported. On...

Daily Memo: Iran’s IRGC Set to Launch Drills

Geopolitical Futures - January 30, 2026

Iranian preparations. The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will conduct live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 1-2, amid...

Daily Memo: US-Iran Escalation, Cuba on the Brink

Geopolitical Futures - January 29, 2026

External input. The Trump administration held meetings with senior Israeli and Saudi officials in Washington this week to discuss possible military strikes against Iran,...

The Southern Flank Unraveled: Russia’s Grip Loosens in Eurasia

Kamran Bokhari - January 29, 2026

A profound geopolitical realignment is unfolding at the heart of Eurasia as the influence of both Russia and Iran recedes. Moscow’s grip on its...

Daily Memo: Chinese Corruption Probe Targets Top Military Officials

Geopolitical Futures - January 26, 2026

Reshuffle. China has launched an investigation into two senior military officials for suspected violations of “discipline and law.” Zhang Youxia is the first-ranked vice...

Daily Memo: On Reviving Ukraine Talks

Geopolitical Futures - January 23, 2026

Renewed dialogue. Ukraine, Russia and the United States will hold talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday, the first trilateral dialogue since Russia’s full-scale invasion...

The Evolution of the Collective Security Treaty Organization

Ekaterina Zolotova - January 21, 2026

Last week, Russia announced that it will soon host the International Forum for Collective Security under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,...

Daily Memo: Islamic State Militants Escape Prison in Syria

Geopolitical Futures - January 20, 2026

Chaos in Syria. Clashes erupted between armed groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces around Shaddadi prison, which holds thousands of Islamic State fighters,...