Journal Articles

Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and Peace Agreements

by admin_sw | 30 May 2022 | Public Policy Reports | 0 Comments

Mechanisms to settle disputes arising in the implementation and operation of a political agreement can take various forms, depending on the specific purpose for which they are established. Comparative analysis suggests that, although there is a wide spectrum of...

The Changing “De-facto State Playbook”: From Opportunism to Strategic Calculation

by admin_sw | 27 May 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Moldova, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related NotesWe see clear signs that Russia has been applying a “de facto state playbook” in the Ukrainian territories it has seized since the beginning of its war on Ukraine. This is notable, not least of which is Moscow’s current goal of expanding its occupation...

Ukraine war: rising food prices are not the only global economic fallout

by admin_sw | 25 May 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related Notes As the war in Ukraine heads into its fourth month, its economic consequences are becoming more apparent and begin to move up on the global political agendas. And in the same way in which Russia’s aggression has had political ramifications far beyond...

Finland and Sweden’s desire to join Nato shows Putin has permanently redrawn the map of Europe

by admin_sw | 12 May 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Moldova, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related Notes With Finland’s leaders announcing they want the country to join Nato, and all the signs pointing to Sweden doing the same, it is becoming clearer than ever that Vladimir Putin’s attempt to fundamentally restructure the European security order has worked....

Options for dealing with Russia in the OSCE

by admin_sw | 11 May 2022 | Confidence Building in the OSCE Region, Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related NotesRussia’s war against Ukraine creates a dilemma for participating States in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): the continued functioning of the OSCE depends on the consent of all 57 participating States, yet any decision taken...

Ukraine: Victory Day celebrations can’t mask how badly things are going for Vladimir Putin

by Stefan Wolff | 9 May 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related NotesRussians gathered on May 9 for the annual Victory Day celebrations, a hugely symbolic commemoration of Nazism’s defeat in the second world war. Elsewhere in the world, there is general agreement that Russia’s military has so far failed to achieve the...

Kaliningrad: Russia’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ deep in Nato territory

by Stefan Wolff | 5 May 2022 | Confidence Building in the OSCE Region, Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related NotesThe Russian Baltic Fleet has announced that it carried out a series of simulated missile strikes of its nuclear-capable Iskander system. This is not the first time that the Russian exclave – roughly the size of Northern Ireland and wedged between Nato and...

Ukraine invasion: ‘stage two’ of Russia’s war is ringing alarm bells in nearby Moldova

by admin_sw | 25 April 2022 | Confidence Building in the OSCE Region, Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Moldova, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related Notes The second stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is underway. The scope of the war now appears to be establishing full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. If successful, this would mean Russian occupation of approximately one-third of Ukraine,...

Ukraine: how Putin could try to split the country into regional puppet governments

by admin_sw | 14 April 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related NotesIn its scale and cost, as well as its broader implications for European and international security, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine constitutes a new low in the foreign policy of Russian president Vladimir Putin. But below the surface, Russia...

How could Russia be prosecuted for alleged war crimes in Ukraine?

by Stefan Wolff | 14 April 2022 | Geopolitics in Eastern Europe, Ukraine | 0 Comments

Related Notes Claims that Russia has violated the rules of war are growing louder with each day of its invasion of Ukraine, now in its seventh week. There has been widespread coverage of atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces, including mass killings of...