Tag: russia

  • Broken Borders of the Soviet Union #1: Narva and Ivangorod

    Broken Borders of the Soviet Union #1: Narva and Ivangorod

    The collapse of the Soviet Union is remembered by many across the world as a momentous moment of triumph for democracy, liberty and peace. For many in the lands of the Soviet Union, however, the collapse was a cause for great anxiety over what would come next, and a sense of disillusionment in some places…

  • Economic Life and the Politics of Protest in Central Asia

    Economic Life and the Politics of Protest in Central Asia

    Non-academic research paper, published 29th December 2023 Introduction The collapse of the Soviet Union came to Central Asia in a flash. Whilst other Soviet states were agitators of its downfall, with determined nationalist movements overwhelming the hapless Soviet authorities, the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan watched on as the world…

  • Alive and Independent? Georgia’s Post-Soviet Identity Crisis

    Alive and Independent? Georgia’s Post-Soviet Identity Crisis

    Spring 2023 in Georgia was welcomed by a swelling of unrest on the streets of Tbilisi, as mass protests formed in response to a bill proposed by the government which would designate Non-Governmental Organisations that receive funding from abroad as foreign agents. This law is widely perceived as an authoritarian tactic used by Russia and…

  • Industrial Decline and Conflict in the Donbas

    Industrial Decline and Conflict in the Donbas

    Master’s level dissertation submitted to Birkbeck College, 15th December 2022 Cover Image Credit: Janos Chiala and Tali Mayer

  • Russian Foreign Policy is Broken

    Russian Foreign Policy is Broken

    Published on 21st September 2022 Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has been a moment of dawning realisation for Europe. It has shattered the illusion of a largely comfortable peace in the post-Cold War landscape, and has shattered the myth that Russia no longer posed a threat to the collective security of the continent. Many have offered…

  • On Ukraine, Russia is testing the West

    On Ukraine, Russia is testing the West

    Published on 12th February 2022 As fears over an invasion of Ukraine become palpable, Russia is wielding the threat of aggression as a stick, whilst dangling the prospect of negotiation as the carrot in a pivotal assessment of Western resolve. Europe is at an inflection point. After nearly three decades without war on a major…