Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Nicole Grajewski, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center, to unpack the sudden fall of Assad’s regime and what it means for Russia to lose its stronghold in the Middle East.
Opinion among Ukrainians about Trump is divided: some believe his presidency will be a disaster for their cause in the war with Russia; others see it as an opportunity.
Even if the Abkhazian opposition manages to capitalize on its success by putting forward a successful candidate in the upcoming presidential election, the next leader will still have to find common ground with Moscow.
Minsk is counting on the new U.S. administration’s actions vis-a-vis Russia and Ukraine to bring it out of diplomatic isolation without meaningful concessions on its part. But will Lukashenko’s ambitious gamble pay off?
Some in Moscow see a Trump presidency as a window of opportunity; others believe Russia should focus on pressing home its military advantage in Ukraine.
Pyongyang’s willingness to break with tradition will not necessarily bring success on the battlefield, and has caused concern in both China and South Korea.
When Vladimir Putin calls Ukraine an “artificial state,” he is largely projecting Russia’s own problems onto it. After all, the considerations that produced Russia’s current borders aren’t exactly transparent.
