

Putin’s political centralization, a declining economy, and an increasing popular skepticism leaves large questions surrounding Russia’s future direction.

Ten years after the beginning of the coalition-led war in Afghanistan, the United States may have to reconsider whether its current strategy is able to achieve its goal of a stable and secure Afghanistan.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a time of momentous social and political change, including in Russia, but Russia’s development followed a different path than that of many Eastern European countries.
In 2001, analysts at Goldman Sachs came up with the acronym BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as a way to promote investment in emerging markets. But the acronym has taken on a new meaning since then, and the four countries have started using it to pursue their own political ambitions.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, but the nature of the organization and its role remain somewhat unclear.
The IMF and other Western institutions played a marginal role in the Russian default of 1998. However, working with the IMF was instrumental in teaching Russian authorities how to think through problems more comprehensively.
The ideal president and national leader for Belarus would be someone who appeals to the country’s national archetypes and can help form a national identity for Belarusians.
With Russia engaged in an effort to develop a secure sense of its own national identity, the West must initiate constructive discussions with Moscow to build up the trust necessary for cooperation and coexistence.

The political, social, and cultural influence exerted by the ethnic solidarity of the Cherkessian people, located both in the Russian Federation and in the diaspora, has the potential to further destabilize the North Caucasus.
Two years after it declared independence from Serbia, Kosovo is struggling to develop autonomy and gain international recognition. But the new state is posing both security and political problems locally and for the international community.