In less the one month from now, the Kurdish Regional Government from Iraq shall hold a referendum for determining the fate of the polity: independence or remaining a part of Iraq. The Kurds' struggle to achieve statehood may seem odd in an age when nation states are regarded as obsolete, but the opportunity that arose with the disintegration of the Iraqi state and army in the heyday of the ISIS expansion could not be overlooked. Read more ...
Seeing Other People: Lukashenko’s Balancing Act
It is a hot (geopolitical) summer. In Asia and in Eastern Europe. Away from the North Korean crisis or the Qatar parading blockade, EU-based delegations are increasingly visiting Minsk these months. In one way or another, the European Union and its member states are looking for a readjustment of their relation with the secluded republic on the Eastern flank. Roughly put, Belarus is tucked in a Russian corner that it can hardly escape even if it wished. And it doesn't. Read more ...
The Limits of Iran’s Economic Growth after the JCPOA
Iran is in a favorable situation and it has to make the most of it. However, there are also some challenges that Iran has to address. The structure of the Iranian economy is complicated and inadequate for a steady and healthy growth. This puts a lot of pressure on the Iranian society, especially on the young who want a more substantial change in the country. Read more ...
Along the Silk Road: Russia, Turkey and the New (Chinese) Hegemon
The traditional dynamic of Russia and Turkey has been one of adversity. All elements put into place could – and did – only lead to a series of interminable wars over mastering the Pontic steppes, then the Black Sea, the Balkans and the straits.
Launch of DAVA | Strategic Analysis: We Are Looking East
Our platform is designed to offer insight in nowadays’ most turbulent international affairs from multiple angles: strategic, geoeconomic, political, cultural and religious. It is an integrated vision upon the crises that rage across Eurasia. And upon tensions that are accumulating in this part of the world. From the Pacific to the Mediterranean and from the East China Sea to the Black Sea, we are watching closely. From China to the Balkans, through Central Asia and the Middle East, we follow the troubled paths of the new Silk Road(s).
