MenuThe Caspian Sea, vital to Eurasia’s economy and environment, is shrinking at an alarming rate. The declining water level in the sea is one visible consequence of a larger regional water crisis faced by the C5 nations of Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. This water crisis threatens the more than 82 million people who call the largely
Category Archives: Russia & Eurasia
New Sanctions Against Gazprombank: Too Little, Too Late
The U.S. Treasury has announced sanctions against Russia’s Gazprombank, a lending institution inexorably linked with Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom, along with fifty other small and medium-sized banks and forty securities registrars. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also issued a warning of sanctions risks for financial institutions joining Russia’s System for Transfer of
Winter Is Coming, But Russia Refuses To Stop The Energy War On Ukraine
A massive attack by Russia against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Sunday, November 17th may have caused the Biden Administration to green-light Ukraine’s use of the U.S. ATACMS long-range missiles. Ukraine took parts of the Kursk region during its 2024 summer offensive and is struggling to hold on in the region as some 50,000 Russian
Russia’s Landmark BRICS Summit and the Specter of De-Dollarization
Last week saw a landmark summit of the BRICS group of nations, a nine-country economic bloc led by Moscow and Beijing, which drew representatives from 36 countries, including 22 heads of state. Held from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24 in the Russian city of Kazan, the event focused largely on “de-dollarization”—the idea of phasing out
China Bets On Leadership In The Green Tech Frontier
At the 2024 BRICS summit, China claimed that its advances in Green Tech serve as a “valuable reference” for the bloc and the globe. While Beijing talks a good game about its investments in renewables as an engine of domestic and global economic growth, the realities of China’s sluggish economy suggest otherwise. Earlier this month, China
Kazakhstan Referendum Will Reshape Nuclear Energy In Central Asia
Kazakhstan has employed the time-honored practice of obtaining societal feedback by holding a referendum on October 6th, 2024, to determine whether it should begin constructing a nuclear power plant. With 64% of registered voters in the country submitting ballots, the referendum passed. 71.12% of voters voted in favor of building the plant, according to the
Energy Revenue Fuels A War-Time Moscow Boom
Hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into Russia from oil and gas sales are fueling Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, and more. Unbeknownst to some diplomats and other decision-makers, energy export revenues drive the massive geo-economic polarization between East and West, as petro and gas dollars pour into the Russian tech sector. Russia’s capital—and especially
America’s Self-Inflicted Wound In Central Asia
In Central Asia, everyone appears to be moving to secure riches and interests. Japan has just conducted an investment summit with the Central Asian states to develop economic opportunities, China’s Xi is expanding business ties, the EU is inaugurating a new strategic summit, and Vladimir Putin will be visiting in November. The world understands Central
In a Dangerous World, NATO Must Restore Deterrence
In a time when the United States and the Western allies appear weak on the international scene, restoring deterrence needs to be Job One as the NATO 75th anniversary summit begins today in Washington, D.C. In the recent presidential debate, more energy went into bickering over who deserves to be president, and even their golf scores, than about what
China And Russia Now Dominate The Global Nuclear Trade
The global competition between the West and the rest takes many forms, including in the energy area. The nuclear energy industry has long been such a battlefield. Unfortunately, the U.S. and Europe are not doing great when it comes to winning bids in the developing world. In late May 2024, Uzbekistan signed an agreement with