EURASIAN STUDIES

Zhyldyz Oskonbaeva
(RIEAS Senior Advisor & Eurasian Liaison)

Daniel Little
(RIEAS Senior Advisor)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr)
Publication date: 25 July 2015

At first the concept of ISIS as a corporate entity appears strange, even unsettling yet a number of recent events lends itself to this analogy. While no one takes issue with ISIS' success in Syria and Iraq, their Grand Strategy has until now been treated as a conceptual construct rather than a practical roadmap. Not only is this Grand Strategy a realizable one, it is further along than imagined. This article ties together a two-month old video with events as fresh as last week, even yesterday (July 24th) morning to complete what has eluded many for some time - namely where all of this leads...Read more

Jason E. Strakes, PhD
(Associate Researcher, Ilia State University, Georgia)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 10 June 2015

In the years since the South Ossetia War of 8-13 August 2008, Western observers have produced much alarmist commentary regarding the imminent Russian threat to Georgia's continued existence as an independent state, and the imperative of greater Euro-Atlantic commitment to its deterrence.1 On one hand, this reflects the international public relations campaign launched by the former United National Movement (UNM) government to justify its unsuccessful strategy of reintegrating the disputed territories by force, which (in defiance of the 2009 EU Independent Fact Finding Mission Report) cast the conflict as a premeditated and expansionist gambit by Moscow.2 Yet, this narrative followed upon an existing unofficial domestic security doctrine during its incumbency from 2004-2012 that identified all major instances of organized political opposition or unrest as Kremlin-orchestrated actions, which both preceded and was reinforced by the five-day invasion.3 This essential credulity on the part of some U.S. and European representatives has encouraged the drawing of spurious associations between the August War and the Russian annexation of Crimea and involvement in the ensuing insurgency in the eastern oblasts of Ukraine since February 2014, in turn fueling the trope of entitlement to "shortcuts" to NATO membership among Georgian societal elites.4...Read more

Alesia Slizhava (PhD)
(Professor in UCM (Faculty of Political Science and Sociology, University Complutense in Madrid & Executive Director a Spanish Journal about History, Politics and International Relations)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 4 April 2015

In 2015 the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) was created as a regional organism with its own separate legal identity, composed of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia. It is based in Moscow, with a legal tribunal in Minsk and a financial tribunal in Almaty. Throughout the preceding two and a half years of negotiations, Moscow sought vainly to incorporate other members, in view of opposition from Belarus and Kazakhstan. The EEU plans further development that would create additional omissions and institutions whose ultimate goal would be to achieve a common fiscal, monetary and foreign policy. During 2015 the presidency is held by Belarus...Read more

Najiba Mustafayeva
(PhD Candidate at MGIMO University (Russia) &Expert at the Center for Strategic Studies (SAM) (Azerbaijan)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 26 February 2015

The sad experience of history shows that international crime invariably accompanies human society. Indigenous interests of states, as well as security and stability on the planet depend on the ability and commitment of the international community to combat international crimes....Read more

Claudiu-Nicolae Sonda
(Postgraduate student in the M.A. Program - the International and European Relations- in the Linkoping University, Sweden)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication Date: 15 November 2014

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. These are the eleven original Founding Members who by signing on 25th June 1992 the Istanbul Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement gave birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation . This project transformed into a fully-fledged international organization on May 1, 1999 with the entry into force of the BSEC Charter, and it reached the size it has today (12 members) in 2004 with the accession of Serbia .... Read more