Vladimir Putin
All topics-
Kazakhstan
Tyrants of the steppe
Over 160 Kazakhs die as President Tomayev orders his security forces to "shoot to kill without warning". So what kind of country are we actually talking about? By Sonja Zekri
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Protests in Kazakhstan
Putin's nightmare?
Russia is seeking to shore up the government of Kazakhstan and is sending in the military. For President Putin, there is more at stake than simply his influence in a partner country that is currently being rocked by unrest. By Roman Goncharenko, Emily Sherwin and Olga Sosnytska
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Russia, Israel and the Syrian conflict
Curbing Iran's influence
Russia and Israel are pursuing a common interest in Syria: they both want to combat Iranian expansionism. By Markus Bickel
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Syria and the Arab world
Assad's return to the fold
Despite Syria's lengthy civil war, dictator Bashar al-Assad is now being courted by many governments in the Middle East as if nothing ever happened. The reasons for this vary. By Thore Schroeder
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Between Russia and Afghanistan
Kyrgyzstan – fragile democracy in Central Asia
China to the east, Russia to the north, Afghanistan to the south: in this geopolitical environment, Kyrgyzstan, which has been independent since 1991, is attempting to make progress – and is finding the going tough. Marcel Fuerstenau visited the country in Central Asia
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Electioneering in Libya
Could Muammar Gaddafi's family stage a comeback?
The children of Libya's brutal and erratic former dictator Muammar Gaddafi are becoming more popular as the country's elections, scheduled for 24 December, approach. Some fear they could benefit from an increasingly fragmented political scene. By Cathrin Schaer
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Northern Syria's humanitarian disaster
Syria's IDPs – waiting for death in Idlib
Millions of people in Syria's Idlib region depend on foreign aid that passes through only one border crossing. The UN mandate regulating passage through it will expire on 10 July; a humanitarian disaster looms if it isn't renewed. Diana Hodali reports
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International Libya Conference in Berlin
Libyans harbour high hopes for a transition to stability
The Libya Conference will be held in Berlin on 23 June. Much has been achieved since the last Libya Conference in Berlin in January 2020. The ceasefire is holding, there is a united interim government for the first time and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 24 December. But the path ahead remains strewn with obstacles. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Loyalty and legitimacy in Syria
Bashar al-Assad's staging of the presidential election
By stage-managing his re-election in a poll widely dismissed as a farce, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has killed two birds with one stone: he has forced his compatriots to demonstrate their loyalty and submission and will use the outcome to get money from abroad. He needs both to stay in power. By Kristin Helberg
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Syria 10 years on
Bashar al-Assad’s Pyrrhic victory and the arrogance of power
Syria's president appears to have triumphed. He remains in power, the Syrian conflict is nearly over, and efforts are underway in the Arab world to normalise relations with his regime. Yet why was Bashar al-Assad so unprepared for the uprising, and has he learned anything since? Commentary by Nael Shama
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Turkey and northern Syria
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's deadly serious colonial project
The neo-Ottomanism propagated by Erdogan has long been more than rhetoric and symbolic politics. This can be seen from recent developments in parts of northern Syria, where Turkey is in the process of permanently securing its sphere of influence. Joseph Croitoru reports
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Syrian conflict
How climate change paved the way to war in Syria
Researchers agree that climate change alone cannot be blamed for the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011. However, neither can it be ignored as a reason this once blossoming country has become parched and war-torn. By Jennifer Holleis