David Kagan

Jan 16, 2025 | cepa.org | Emil Avdaliani |Bill Echikson |Matthew Eitel |David Kagan

The official ceremony to mark the start of construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway was held on December 27. The event featured high-level officials from Beijing and Central Asian states and followed the signing of an investment agreement a week earlier. The line, which is designed to carry 10-12 million tons of cargo a year, will stretch approximately 486km (302 miles), linking Kashgar in Western China to Andijan in Uzbekistan and passing through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

Jan 9, 2025 | cepa.org | Chris Stephen |Walter C. Clemens |David Kagan |Francis Harris

Vladimir Putin’s search for new military bases in the Mediterranean has ended in Libya, a country as factional and complicated as Syria, from which Russian forces have effectively been expelled. Without ports and airports to supply it, Russia’s imperial mission in Africa may become as ill-fated as its failed intervention in Syria. The Kremlin has installed mercenaries in a growing number of mineral-rich countries deep within the African continent. But supplying those units is far from easy.

Jan 7, 2025 | cepa.org | David Kagan |Francis Harris |Joshua Stein |Christopher Cytera

China and Russia are aligned but not allied, we’re often told. Or, as one leading analyst put it, the brown bear and the panda are cycling side by side, but whether to the same destination is not yet clear. And of course, it’s true we cannot see the future or where this journey will lead. But we can make an assessment, and frankly, that is far from reassuring. If you doubt it, look at the Germany-Japan axis of the mid-20th century, which offers some troubling parallels.

Jan 7, 2025 | cepa.org | David Kagan |Francis Harris |Joshua Stein |Christopher Cytera

China and Russia are aligned but not allied, we’re often told. Or, as one leading analyst put it, the brown bear and the panda are cycling side by side, but whether to the same destination is not yet clear. And of course, it’s true we cannot see the future or where this journey will lead. But we can make an assessment, and frankly, that is far from reassuring. If you doubt it, look at the Germany-Japan axis of the mid-20th century, which offers some troubling parallels.

Jan 7, 2025 | cepa.org | Matthew Eitel |David Kagan |Francis Harris |Joshua Stein

It’s the controversial capstone of an aggressive chips campaign. As the Biden administration prepares to leave office, it plans to announce its most expansive export controls crackdown against China. Industry and lawmakers are split. Supporters say the moves will keep the US ahead in artificial intelligence. Opponents argue the plan will upend the global AI market — with dire unintended consequences.