By Matthew Grace With Donald Trump as US President-Elect, the future of the Russia-Ukraine war looks most uncertain, with hints of faltering Ukrainian support and appeals to Russia to come. Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on his electoral victory and described him as a “courageous man” who was “hounded from all sides” during his first presidential... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks Thinking of Central Asia as a roundabout, or a master key, or a distribution hub of global trade infrastructure, could not be any more correct. China, Iran, and the United States have recently ramped up their initiatives to include the Central Asian states in trade partnerships. Though the Great Powers have... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace With the influx of 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to Russia of which 8,000 are amassing near the Kursk region, Washington and South Korea “have called on China to use its influence over Russia and North Korea to prevent further escalation.” This comes after the announcement of Ukraine’s intensions to draft another... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks. Edited by Jose Miguel This year’s ISCNE Army War College wargaming scenario was held at the Patterson School October 4-5, 2024. The scenario was attended by students representing China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Issues regarding water resource and great power competition was at the heart of all negotiations.... Continue Reading →
By Julian Fischer-Lhamon A few days ago Turkey attended a BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. The significance of this is underline by Turkey’s bid to join the group, which would make it the first NATO country to do so. This maneuver does not necessarily imply that Turkey is shifting away from the West, although relations... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace Sniffer dogs in Chisinau Airport have been on high alert searching for money that might be linked to Russian interference in Moldovan politics. Customs officers began finding large amounts of money on passengers arriving from connecting flights from Moscow and discovered passengers who had never left Moldova before returning from Russia with... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his members of parliament with a “victory plan” to bolster Ukraine’s position to end the war with Russia in 2025. His address, also condemned China, Iran, and North Korea as a “coalition of criminals” for supporting the “gone mad” Vladimir Putin and his war mongering. His five... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace On October 5th, the renowned Russian opposition activist, Ildar Dadin, was reported as having been killed in action while serving in a Ukrainian volunteer battalion according to the group that recruited him and held that he “remains a hero”. Dadin, callsign “Ghandhi”, joined the fight in June of 2023 and was killed... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace The Russia Ukraine War escalates further this week as Russia hammers out threats of nuclear weapons usage and a potential plan to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the US and his exchanges with the UN, he has highlighted the UN’s shift away from Russia’s invasion and... Continue Reading →
By Julian Fischer-Lhamon After fourteen years, a German Chancellor has finally visited Kazakhstan again. Olaf Scholz’s visit was highly anticipated, with groundwork being laid already last year with a visit by Germany’s foreign minister and president. Scholz met with not only Kazakhstan's president, Tokayev, but also leaders of the other central Asian countries. Despite other... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 