On October 10, in the margins of the 23rd World Energy Congress being held in Ankara, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a Turkish Stream agreement confirming common intentions to proceed with construction of … Continue reading →
The renewal of Turkish-Russian relations represents an invigoration of its already existing “Eurasian direction” in foreign policy, including outreach to Central Asia, India and China. It is a substitute for the failed “Zero Problems with Neighbors” policy of former foreign … Continue reading →
Russian economic sanctions on Turkey, according to a report just published by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, will affect the rate of Turkish economic growth but only to a limited degree. The eduction in Turkey’s GDP growth in … Continue reading →
Two unrelated announcements this week give the unhappy impression of Russian sanctions busting by German energy companies. The European Union decided last month to extend the sanctions against Russia that were set to expire at the end of July. Such … Continue reading →
Oral presentation of the paper, “How the EU’s Learning Deficits Created Eastern Partnership Failure: A Complex-Systems Explanation of Political Failure,” to the Conference Security in the European Union and its Neighbourhood: Challenges and Policy Responses, University of Dundee, 15-16 June … Continue reading →
It is in serious trouble, but is the Russian economy unsustainable? Western sanctions have restricted Russian companies’ access to international financial markets, but it is the state’s policies and priorities that are tanking its economic performance. Recent statistical releases show … Continue reading →
The Turkish Stream pipeline is increasingly problematic for Russia. Even though it has recently agreed with Turkey on the route of the pipeline, it does not follow that deliveries will begin in December 2016 as stated by a Gazprom representative. … Continue reading →
Errors have infiltrated reports of Russian-Turkish gas negotiations. Correcting them reveals that Russia is trying to take advantage of the deterioration of EU-Turkey relations, but Turkey is not taking the bait.
Continue reading →Russia continues to play hardball with natural gas for the European Union, trying to get Brussels to sacrifice Ukraine in return for the promise of better relations with Moscow. This geo-economic and power-political jousting is conditioned by the fact that EU sanctions against Russia will begin to expire in three phases between March and July unless there is an EU consensus to keep them in place.
Continue reading →Interview on John Batchelor Show, WABC-AM 770 (New York City), 23 December 2014. … Continue reading →