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4 weeks ago | 
cepa.org | Michael Peck |Emil Avdaliani |David Kirichenko |Andrian Prokip
After three years and a million casualties, Russia has discovered something that even the ancient Romans knew: combining different types of weapons creates a synergy more lethal than the sum of its parts. Russia has devised a successful approach for penetrating Ukrainian defenses. The good news? In the early months of 2025, Ukraine may have discovered a response. Here’s the problem.
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1 month ago | 
cepa.org | Emil Avdaliani |Aura Sabadus |William Echikson |Alexander Kolyandr
April’s inaugural Central Asia-EU Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was the first of its kind for the two sides and was seen as a means to elevate the bloc’s influence in the region. Amid growing great power competition over Eurasian connectivity, Brussels was looking to secure a more solid footing.
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2 months ago | 
stimson.org | Emil Avdaliani |Barbara Slavin |Joaquin Matamis
Editor’s Note: From his base in Georgia, academic Emil Avdaliani follows regional security and economic trends and contributes frequently to Stimson on these topics. The author of a recent book, “China, Russia and New Eurasian Order,” he is particularly expert on regional ties with Russia and China and has also written for the Carnegie Endowment and for Trends Research and Advisory.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
stimson.org | Emil Avdaliani |Barbara Slavin |Joaquin Matamis
Editor’s Note: From his base in Georgia, academic Emil Avdaliani follows regional security and economic trends and contributes frequently to Stimson on these topics. The author of a recent book, “China, Russia and New Eurasian Order,” he is particularly expert on regional ties with Russia and China and has also written for the Carnegie Endowment and for Trends Research and Advisory.
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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.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
cepa.org | Emil Avdaliani |Catherine Sendak |Ilya Timtchenko
Recommendations for the US Executive Branch:Strategic Vision: First, the US Administration (along with allies and partners) needs a comprehensive strategy which builds upon the past two years of assistance and enables long-term planning among key stakeholders. This strategy, which will be supported by the following recommendations, must also be informed by a collaborative and clear US policy towards Russia.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
cepa.org | Anda Bologa |Alison Mutler |Emil Avdaliani
The Romanian parliamentary elections held on December 1 secured a fragile hold for fragmented pro-European forces in the legislature, yet the country remains shaken by the earlier presidential first-round result. Călin Georgescu, a previously obscure ultranationalist, vaccine-skeptic and admirer of Vladimir Putin, vaulted to the top of the presidential race on the back of a savvy, algorithm-fueled TikTok campaign.
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Dec 1, 2024 | 
lowyinstitute.org | Emil Avdaliani
A gradual shift has taken place among Central Asian governments in their approach to Afghanistan. While initial responses to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 were marked by caution, the bordering countries are now reconsidering their strategies, aiming to normalise economic ties. China, Russia and India have followed suit. All now consider the Taliban to be well-entrenched, and unlikely to go anywhere.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
eurasiareview.com | Emil Avdaliani
On November 19, Israel announced it found a large cache of Russian arms at the hand of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Reports show that many of the weapons were initially owned by the Syrian military, to which Russia has supplied weapons for years (Times of Israel, November 19). This indicates growing cooperation between Russia and the militias across the Middle East (see EDM, September 18).
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
realcleardefense.com | Emil Avdaliani
Russia has expanded its ties with groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, leveraging its relationship with Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” to increase geopolitical influence through military and security cooperation, including supplying weapons and conducting diplomatic engagements. Moscow is not pursuing an overarching peace but aims to strengthen its position as a pro-Arab power and counterbalance the United States.
