According to an investigative report by American officials, the blackout in Ukraine (which left almost a quarter of a million people without power) that occurred on December 23, 2015, may well have been the result of cyber-terrorism. This kind of highly complex attack could, theoretically, occur in the US. As a result, the Obama Administration…
Amidst the conflict in Syria, fighting in eastern Ukraine between the government and separatist forces in the region has received relatively little media coverage. However, in the last few weeks, artillery shelling, use of landmines, and mortar fire has been employed by both sides, which has effectively ended the truce agreed upon last summer. According…
Earlier this week, 50 civilians were killed in airstrikes at a rebel-held towns in Syria. According to an article published by Reuters, the locals have blamed Russia for the airstrikes, saying that the “planes deployed were more numerous and the munitions more powerful than the Syrian military typically used.” However, Putin has denied that any…
On February 5th, a Russian Su-34 “Fullback” fighter-bomber allegedly crossed into Turkey’s sovereign airspace. In light of the controversy surrounding Turkey’s decision to shoot down a similar Russian jet that crossed into its borders (for roughly 20 seconds) last November, Putin and his armed forces were well aware of the heightened tensions between the two…
A few weeks ago, Turkish forces shot down a Russian plane that allegedly crossed into the country’s air space. President Putin has maintained that Turkey never warned Russia that the jet was entering sovereign territory or that it was prepared to use military force to take down the aircraft. However, U.S. intelligence sources confirmed that…
The Islamic State (ISIS) has become the foremost national security concern for many central asian countries. In Uzbekistan, for example, police arrests of individuals suspected of being affiliated with the terrorist organization have risen dramatically. According to Regnum, a Moscow-based news organization, more than “150 people had been detained in Uzbekistan’s capital city in the…
On October 31, Metrojet Flight 9268 went down in flames on its route from Sharm Eli Sheikh, Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia. The incident killed 224 people, most of whom were Russian tourists. Immediately following the crash, all affected parties quickly assumed their predictable stances on the disaster. Russia resisted the theory that a bomb…
Despite affirmation in its National Human Rights Action Plan of the Republic of Kazakhstan 2009-2012, The Kazakhstan government has consistently violated a wide array of its citizens’ human rights. According to the Human Rights Watch, “Kazakhstan heavily restricts freedom of assembly, speech, and religion, and torture remains a serious problem” and “in 2014, authorities closed…
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, many Eurasian countries, including Georgia, quickly realized they could no longer support a “cradle-to-grave” universal health care system. Since then, devising and implementing an effective medical infrastructure-public or private- has proved extremely difficult. When the Georgian Dream coalition came to power following the 2012 parliamentary elections, expanding state-funded…
During the past several weeks, Russia’s increased military action in Syria has raised important questions for the array of international interests in the region. In light of Russia’s longstanding support of the Assad regime, allegations that Russian airstrikes have targeted U.S.-backed rebel groups, and President Putin’s recent annexation of Crimea, the UN, NATO, and other…