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The Geopolitical Chessboard: the significance of “Sviataia Rus’”in the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Federation’s approach in the conflict with Ukraine.
By Amir Nassar Introduction Parallel to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the intense war that followed, there is an ongoing religious-jurisdictional cold war between the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Moscow (also known as the Moscow Patriarchate) and the Orthodox Church(es) in Ukraine (OCU). In this context, a dispute over the Ukrainian State-owned grounds…
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Risks to Democratic Consolidation in Ukraine: Strategic Stagnation by NATO and the EU, and the cautionary tale of Georgia
By Thomas Law NATO welcomes Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO . . . We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia. So read the declaration following the April 2008 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (hereafter, NATO) Summit in Bucharest. These…
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As Seen on TV: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Russia and America
By Johnny Amundson Few conflicts are as aptly described to be in a state of permacrisis as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The years 2018, 2014, 2005, 1987, 1982, 1973, 1972, 1967, 1956, and 1948 signify their own crises. 2023, for its part, was a particularly deadly year in occupied Palestine even before Hamas’ attack on October…
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Finnish Immigration System and the Administration of the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
Finland and Ukraine flags in Helsinki, Finland. June 13, 2022. Photo by Santeri Viinamäki. Wikimedia Commons. No changes made. View license here. By Erlin Trifoni Introduction What does the administration of the refugee crisis in Finland tell us about the strengths and weaknesses of its immigration and integration system? How does the governance of the…
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Oil, Gas & Modernisation in Russia: Policy Memorandum
By Sylvia Lorico To: Charles Michel, President of the European Council From: Members of the EU Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Subject: Policy Memorandum “Intensifying the Impact of Economic Sanctions on Russia in the Wake of Prolonged Conflict in Ukraine” Date: 04/11/2022 Introduction: This memorandum analyzes the impact of the European Union’s (EU’s)…
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Soviet Women’s Acceptance of Infantilization as a Means of Compromise, Resistance, and Denial on the Frontlines of World War II and Beyond
By Julia-Maria Xavier Content Warning: Sexual Assault Abstract World War II was marked by the violent acquisition of land, shaping, and re-shaping of territories and populations both in its immediacy and aftermath. For citizens of the Soviet Union, like most other nations, defending their territory was an issue of patriotism, in which all citizens were…
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Revolution under the Shadow of the State: Organized Crime in the Soviet Union
Moscow’s Red Square during the Soviet era. Photo: daves_archive_1/Flickr. No changes made. View the license here. By Mike Shirley Introduction “I have no mother and no father. There is only the code, the vory v zakone code.” – Nikolai Luzhin, Eastern Promises[1] In 1971, Voldemar Mirkin, an antiques dealer in the Soviet Union’s thriving black market, came…
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European Energy Security and Pipelines in the South Caucasus: Carriers of Energy and Conflict
Photo: Ilham Aliyev attended official opening ceremony of Southern Gas Corridor. Sangachal Terminal. Photo: Official website the President of Azerbaijan. No changes made. View the license here. By Sasha Slobodov Issue Statement In order to move away from reliance on Russia for natural gas imports, the European Union (EU) has identified the South Caucasus as…