As Moldovans prepare to go to the polls on Oct. 20, it looks like another round of the familiar geopolitical standoff between Russia and the West over the countries in Moscow’s former empire and sphere of influence.
The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and an anti-migrant crackdown mean Russia is an increasingly unattractive destination for Central Asian laborers. Some are looking instead to other Asian and European countries.
Russia’s use of the Caspian Sea for military purposes and its reduction of water flow from the Volga are damaging the sea’s already fragile ecosystem.
Russian companies are not only selling more metals to China, but also integrating their value chains with Chinese firms.
For Moscow, the significance of the Hungarian leader’s most recent visit had nothing to do with any peace proposal he may have put to Putin. It simply proved to the Kremlin that Russia is treading a similar path to the one it followed after 2014: from international outcast to a reestablishment of relations.
The sanctions deployed against Russia have failed to break Vladimir Putin’s war machine, and now the West is looking for ways to make them more potent. In doing so, Western policymakers should remain clear-eyed about potential risks and side effects.
Russia-China competition and an expanded membership have turned the Eurasian security grouping into little more than a talking shop.
