Eurasia

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Christoph Duenwald et al. at the International Monetary Fund have a new report out that finds that temperatures in the Middle East and Central Asia have already risen by 2.7 degrees F. (1.5C) over the past century, at a rate twice as fast as that of the rest of the […]

Central Asia

Eurasia’s Ring of Fire: The Epic Struggle over the Epicenter of U.S. Global Power

Alfred W. McCoy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Throughout 2021, Americans were absorbed in arguments over mask mandates, school closings, and the meaning of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Meanwhile, geopolitical hot spots were erupting across Eurasia, forming a veritable ring of fire around that vast land mass. Let’s circle that continent to visit just a few […]

Armenia

After Thirty Years, are Turkey and Armenia really Ready to Normalize Relations?

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – ( GlobalVoices.org) – Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during the first Karabakh war in a show of solidarity with its long-time ally Azerbaijan. Almost three decades later, Turkey is considering reopening that border in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s victory in the second Karabakh war in 2020. During […]

Afghanistan

Are the Taliban Russia’s Problem now? Moscow Rushes to Arm Tajikistan

Nikola Mikovic

Belgrade (Special to Informed Comment) – Tensions rise between the Taliban – the de facto rulers of Afghanistan – and neighboring Russia-backed Tajikistan. The radical group accuses the former Soviet republic of interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, and is deploying fighters on the Afghan – Tajik border, while Moscow keeps providing military equipment to its […]

Afghanistan

Will Russia use Taliban Resurgence to Reassert itself in Central Asia?

Nikola Mikovic

Belgrade (Informed Comment) – While many Western countries closed their embassies in Kabul, Russian diplomats decided to stay in Afghanistan. The Taliban – a radical movement that effectively took over the country following the US withdrawal – reportedly promised to guarantee the safety of the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital. What is the future […]

Armenia

In Challenge to U.S., Putin’s Eurasian Union seeks to Incorporate Iran

Nikola Mikovic

Belgrade (Special to Informed Comment) – Iran is hoping to join Russia-dominated Eurasian Union by the end of February. The Islamic Republic could also soon get a new rail connection with the Russian Federation, and such an action would additionally strengthen economic and political ties between the two countries. Such a major infrastructural project would […]

Armenia

Did Peace just Break out in the Caucasus or Did Russia Strong-Arm Armenia into its Orbit?

Nikola Mikovic

Belgrade (Special to Informed Comment) – The war in Nagorno-Karbakh is over. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev signed an agreement that effectively ended hostilities between the two countries over the disputed mountainous region. The deal was brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who managed to preserve the role of the […]

Armenia

in Conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijan used Cluster Munitions in Nagorno-Karabakh

Human Rights Watch

Stop Use of Banned Weapons; Secure and Destroy Stocks

Armenia

Trying To Be Neutral: Iran Worried Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Could Turn Into Wider War

Golnaz Esfandiari

(RFE/RL ) – Sharing a frontier with both Armenia and Azerbaijan as they fight a bitter war over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh territory, Tehran is closely watching the conflict amid growing concern it could spill over the border. A number of artillery shells and rockets have recently landed in Iranian territory, including a residential area, only […]