Russia's invasion of Ukraine has accelerated global dynamics that profoundly impact the post-Soviet South. Relations with Russia are still strong, but the former subalterns are raising their voices. The empowerment is most visible in their foreign relations, but also tends to strengthen...

Connectivity, especially in the transport sector, has become a ubiquitous issue in the South Caucasus in recent years. Transport connectivity also plays a central role in the European Union’s policy towards the region. As part of its Global Gateway Initiative, the EU has made a commitment that...

Georgia is at a turning point due to democratic backsliding in domestic policy and a reconfiguration of external relations influenced by regional and global geopolitical turbulence. In addressing this challenge, the EU should: consider carefully whether using communication channels will promote...

Russia's war against Ukraine and the geopolitical shifts on the Eurasian continent have brought Central Asia back into the focus of Germany and the EU. Germany's strategic regional partnership with Central Asia, which was announced last autumn, offers promising potential for cooperation....

The presidential transition in Uzbekistan represents a novel development in the post-Soviet space. Regime insider Shavkat Mirziyoyev has succeeded in initiating change without provoking destabilisation. His reform programme aims to liberalise the economy and society while leaving the political...

Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbours have generally reacted pragmatically to the Taliban’s seizure of power there. For the autocratically ruled, secular states on the periphery of the former Soviet empire, economic cooperation and the stabilisation of humanitarian and political conditions in...

The religious policy innovations that Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev has initiated in the name of liberalisation and reform continue the policies of his predecessor in key aspects. Under the motto “enlightenment against ignorance”, state influence over the religious knowledge taught in...

In the context of a European security order under pressure, the OSCE - and its long neglected economic and environmental dimension - has developed a new dynamism. The potential for generating trust in this area is attributed to the idea that economics and the environment are supposedly less...

Georgia's political leadership has been pursuing close ties to the United States and a geopolitical positioning in 'the West' at least since the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili. A formal Strategic Partnership has structured the relationship since 2009. Donald Trump's "America First" policy and...