Eastern Europe

Saakashvili arrest overshadows Georgian ruling party’s election win

By Peter Dickinson

Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream secured victory in October 2 local elections but the imprisonment of returning ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili leaves little realistic chance of an end to political tensions.

Experts react: The key takeaways from the Erdoğan-Putin meeting

By Atlantic Council IN TURKEY

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in-person in Sochi, Russia for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Atlantic Council experts give their take on the outcome.

Want to assess Ukraine’s progress? Look at Belarus

By Vitaliy Sych

Perhaps the best way to gauge Ukraine's post-Soviet progress is to compare the country's media freedoms and fledgling democracy with the authoritarian environment in neighboring Belarus and Russia.

Lukashenka vs. Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has accused NATO of establishing military bases in Ukraine and has vowed to respond together with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

No regrets: One Woman in White’s story from exile

By Melinda Haring

Anastasia Kostyugova is one of the hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who have fled their country since 2020. “My mother is in prison. I’m in exile. I didn’t expect this. We didn’t understand the value of human rights and democracy,” Kostyugova affirms.

Russia fears the Belarusization of Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Moscow commentators are alarmed by signs of strengthening national identity in Belarus and warn that "Belarusization" could lead to a decline in Russian influence, much as it has done in nearby Ukraine.

Global Sanctions Dashboard: Summer edition

By Julia Friedlander, Michael Albanese and Castellum.AI

Current state of sanctions against the Taliban, China’s use of its Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, and combating corruption through sanctions.

Russian-Belarusian military merger accelerates on NATO’s eastern flank

By Brian Whitmore

The accelerating military merger between Russia and Belarus is dramatically altering the regional security equation and creating an authoritarian army on the European Union's eastern frontier.

State of the Order: Assessing August 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Belarus dictator poses growing threat to Ukraine

By Lisa Yasko

Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's growing dependence on the Kremlin is allowing Vladimir Putin to expand his military presence in Belarus and creating a new front in Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine.