International Relations, 1979 -

The transition of former govt officials into the private sector indicates something more than mere "revolving door". This 🇬🇧-Gulf vector is just one example. Such pol-buisness networks shape what is possible globally. But we barely study them in IR. intelligenceonline.com/corporate-inte…

Congratulations to casey Casey Michel on the publication of Foreign Agents. He and it sound very authoritative in this promo! I'm looking forward to reading it.

Perhaps Yeats was wrong that the centre cannot hold? Certainly, there remain plenty of pragmatist and liberal-conservative ideas out there. But don't these rely on material-institutional centres which are falling apart in our "apocalyptic age"? henryjacksonsociety.org/event/the-cent…

Yes. Most of the stuff on this platform is crap. Most of what is proferred by the market economy is crap. Some crap is so crappy it needs to be outlawed. Some smells so clearly of crap that any sentient being ought to be able to tell it is crap and not tread it in. Which is this?

Some good stuff here incluidng on fiedwork by Anna Jordanova. Nice review by Edward Lemon of Cholpon Orozobekova book for which I was honoured to write a brief foreword. Ed, Cholpon, N. Tucker, D. Montgomery and I continue the conversation CH Russia Eurasia: chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…

Nice piece. Tech figures like Durov operate according to a different logic than that of the state system. Theirs is a world of networks where both free speech and criminality thrive. Asking whether he is a friend/enemy misses the point. themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/26/why…

As Azerbaijan appears to shift further into the Russian orbit geopolitically, London-listed and Azerbaijan-focused companies like Anglo Asian Mining are doing well. The world is complex and "the return of geopolitics" may be an oversimplification. tipranks.com/news/company-a…

'The Kremlin said Durov must not only ban “extremist content” but also .. surrender Telegram’s encryption keys that would allow authorities to read private conversations. Telegram was unblocked in June 2020. Had Durov made some sort of deal with the FSB?  We don’t know.'

Read Casey Michel. For foreign kleptocrats, Trump is like looking in the mirror. By making deals with the family, giving awards, making donations they get access. Family and business relations shape relations between states. Not enduring alliances but transactional geopolitics.

With comments from Andrew Chubb Sam Dunning and me. A familiar story of a top UK university refusing FOIs about their funding, presumably due to an NDA with a donor. A high level of transparency will not happen until law requires it. asia.nikkei.com/Business/Educa… via Nikkei Asia

This is an exceptional clear summary of the racialization of and broader discrimination against Central Asian migrants in Russia.

Event | Islamic radicalisation in Central Asia 18 September | Hybrid format Annette Bohr (CH Russia Eurasia) | John Heathershaw (Exeter Politics) | David Montgomery (University of Maryland, Baltimore) | Cholpon Orozobekova (Bulan Institute) | Noah Tucker (Davis Center) Register👇 chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…

This summer, I was able to read and review two excellent books for Europe-Asia Studies including Tomila Lankina superb "The Estate Origins of Democracy in Russia" (2022). I was fascinated by Qs of the elitism, the transnational & reception since publication. academia.edu/123578040/BOOK…