Shaman Kim and His Rise

This week’s summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin was of historic significance. It extended global tensions that began with the Ukrainian conflict two years ago to the eastern tip of the Eurasian continent, where the Cold War started in 1950. It could have unfathomable consequences. It also unravels years […]

EU Elections and Upcoming G7 Confirming Trends on Russia

The G7 summit in Italy opens against the backdrop of a complex EU (European Union) election result, where the European Popular Party (EPP) confirmed its central role. Its allies, the Liberals and the Socialists, encountered a severe setback but remain strong. The Conservatives and the hard right (mostly pro-Russia) made advances but did not secure […]

A Game of Reality, Shadows and Feelings: Xi and Putin in Beijing

A game of reality and shadows, both true and both tricks for the eye of the beholder, was playing out in Beijing as Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart. No pomp was spared. Putin walked along red carpets that stretched across many of the 80 acres of Tiananmen Square. The central […]

Can China Dodge a “Russianizing” Lull?

A lull in political initiatives about wars could draw China closer to Russia just as the two countries’ agendas are drawing apart As Moscow was the center of President Xi Jinping’s talks in Paris, Belgrade, and Budapest, there is possibly a growing systemic fissure between Russia and China concerning the war in Ukraine – specifically, […]

Peace for the Dovish Serpent, a prayer to the Pope

With great shame, kneeling down, with all my heart, I would like to offer another perspective to the Holy Father on the extremely delicate matter of the Ukrainian war and of Ukraine’s negotiations, or even possible “surrender,” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is in a gridlock. He started the war at the end of […]

Russia and the West after Navalny

The death of Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most influential opponent, is deepening the chasm between Russia and the West, with unfathomable consequences for the future. The penitentiary administration states that he died of natural causes. At the same time, his family and friends claim he was deliberately killed, possibly due to Putin’s sudden change […]