Putin’s Warpath Goes Through Arctic

Posted by & filed under Security, Ukraine War

Russia’s war against Ukraine is stuck in a rigid deadlock. The prospect of agreeing on a ceasefire, which had appeared within reach a couple of weeks ago, has, however, become distant and blurred.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the polar camp at Alexandra Land Island, Franz Joseph Land in Acrtic Russia in 2017. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not procrastinating or bargaining, he deliberately persists with unfeasible conditions while accepting concessions as a matter of routine (Re: Russia, March 27).Read More

How Should Europe Respond to the Demonstrations in Turkey?

Posted by & filed under Governance, Regions and Powers

All across Turkey, a battle is being waged over the country’s future. For more than a decade, the country’s democratic institutions have steadily deteriorated and now thousands have taken to the streets in an attempt to save the remains of its democracy and restore the rule of law.

Protestors in Istanbul during a protest in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 25, 2025. Photo: Mehmet Kacmaz/Getty Images

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There’s a Path Forward for Turkey-Greece Cooperation — but It Requires a Dose of Realism

Posted by & filed under Regions and Powers, Security

In the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions are largely the norm rather than the exception. Greece and Turkey, two stable states and NATO allies, enjoy largely peaceful unneighborly relations, despite occasional tension between them. Bilateral disputes, especially those regarding the delimitation of maritime zones, are longstanding and well-known.

Turkish and Greek Foreign Ministers Hakan Fidan and Giorgos Gerapetritis after a meeting in November 2024. Photo: Murat Gok/Anadolu via Getty Images

But the two countries still seem trapped in regional and bilateral geopolitical dilemmas, some of which have little resonance today.Read More

What Now for Humanitarian Studies?

Posted by & filed under Humanitarianism, Research Politics

Humanitarianism has long been in crisis, but since early 2025 the sector has been experiencing an unprecedented organizational, institutional, normative, and political collapse.

Photo: Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images

As scholars active in the broad, inter-, and multidisciplinary field of humanitarian studies, we must try to understand and analyze the impact of this collapse and address the important institutional challenges it obliges us to grapple with.Read More

Russia Refuses to Make Meaningful Step on Road to Peace

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Ukraine War

U.S., European, and Ukrainian peace-making policies are now aligned at a possible breakthrough point, as differences in means and methods transmute into complementarities. This fast evolution starkly contrasts with the immobility of Russia’s position.

Vladimir Putin in March 2025. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

This resolve, so long as it exists, prohibits any discussion of possible compromises for peace (see Strategic Snapshot, February 24).Read More

American Democracy is in Danger, but Not Dead

Posted by & filed under Governance

Trump and his supporters are undermining American democracy, posing a real threat of democratic breakdown. The consequences would be dramatic, extending far beyond the United States. However, there is still a good chance that democracy, in the end, will survive — but this requires counter-mobilization.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump appear during an executive order signing in the Oval Office in February 2025. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The warning lights are flashing red. American democracy is in real danger.Read More

Triumphalism in Moscow About Setback in Peace-Making for Ukraine Could be Short-Lived

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Ukraine War

Moscow’s mouthpieces competed to celebrate and ridicule the individuals involved in the February 28 talks in Washington, D.C. between Ukraine and the United States. To the surprise of many, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House empty-handed after arriving with the expectation of signing a symbolically important minerals deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 . Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Zelenskyy’s point, “I am not here to play cards,” echoes the same conviction as when he famously refused to escape from Kyiv when threatened by Russian tanks, claiming  “I need ammunition, not a ride” (X/@UkrEmbLondon, February 26, 2022; Novaya Gazeta Europe, March 1).Read More

Contesting the AI-Cybersecurity Nexus: Lessons Learned from the United Kingdom

Posted by & filed under Security

In an age where so-called artificial intelligence (AI) seems to revolutionise every corner of our lives, it’s no surprise that its intersection with cybersecurity has become a major focus for governments worldwide.

Stock photo/da-kuk/Getty images

Where cybersecurity and AI were previously seen as separate entities, they are increasingly merging together in policy discourse. The UK, who promotes itself as a forerunner of technological innovation, offers an intriguing insight into how policy and practice is shifting in the evolving realm of AI and security.

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Moscow Changes War Rhetoric but Stays War Course

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Security, Ukraine War

The whirlwind of U.S.-initiated diplomatic activity in the last two weeks has compelled the Kremlin to alter the tone of its messaging on confrontation with the West and even the substance of its far-reaching propaganda campaign.

Defender of the Fatherland Day February 23, 2025, in Moscow. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

The cliché of “Anglo-Saxon” hostility, a long-time theme in Moscow’s discourse, has disappeared together with the claim of breaking down the U.S.-dominated world order. In the mainstream media, no criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s style of policy-making is allowed, and most “patriotic” bloggers feel obliged to express respect for his ability to make a difference (TopWar.ru, February 19; The Moscow Times, February 21).Read More

Moscow Seeks to Regain Initiative in the Game of Peace Talks

Posted by & filed under Peacebuilding, Security, Ukraine War

Jubilation in Moscow after the phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on February 12 has given way to contemplations of the consequences and even to confusion caused by the barrage of statements from officials throughout the week (Kremlin.ru, February 12).

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (4th L), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) , Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov (2nd R), US Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (2nd L), US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (3rd L) and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) attend a meeting between Russia and the US, aimed at mending relations between the two nations and addressing the conflict in Ukraine, on February 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry /Anadolu via Getty Images

During the conversation, Putin conveyed that “it was time for both countries to work together” (Ibid).Read More