The Taliban Afghanistan: Between Radicals and Pragmatists
Anton Mardasov and Kirill Semyonov discuss whether the Taliban are ready to stop terrorist attacks by international jihadists and ensure the security in Central Asia and Russia
Conflicts
Arms trafficking in the shadow of the Taliban
Eric Woods warns that the Taliban takeover could be a boon for the region’s arms smugglers, with a major risk of weapons leaking north into Russia
The Taliban has reached Kabul. Why is Moscow so calm?
Ivan U. Klyszcz looks at why Russia seems much less worried by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan than it was in the 1990s
Spiralling radicalisation in the North Caucasus
Harold Chambers warns how heavy handed security service crackdowns are galvanising islamic radicalisation in the North Caucasus
Russia’s security mirage in the Gulf
Milàn Czerny finds a few reasons to be skeptical of Russia’s ‘Security concept for the Persian Gulf’
Another Fraught Peace Is Brokered in Nagorno Karabakh. What Now?
Ivan Preobrazhensky comments on the fallout from the latest outbreak of war between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Russia and its chemical weapons: a short history
Pavel Luzin explains why the Russian approach to disarmament of chemical weapons is so controversial
Russian operation goes ‘offshore’ in Syria
Anton Mardasov and Kirill Semenov describe how Moscow is trying to support the armed opposition without weakening al-Assad
Russian PMCs in Sub-Saharan Africa: mission (im)possible?
Sergey Sukhankin on why the employment of PMCs in Sub-Saharan Africa has not yielded major benefits to Russia
Russia is washing blood off African diamonds
Lyubov Glazunova investigates Russia’s struggle to legalise diamond exports from the Central African Republic
The Fragmentation of Russia’s Middle East Policies
Leonid Isaev and Anton Mardasov on the diffusion of responsibility for policies in the Middle East
The technical barriers to Russia’s military triumphs
Pavel Luzin considers why the Russian armed forces end this decade in a place of deep uncertainty