GIES Occasional Paper
Each year, the Ghent Institute for International and European Politics breaks down a major event in international and European Politics in a GIES Occasional Paper series. It brings together the expertise of GIES academics by analysing current affairs through a variety of different angles.
In the 2025 edition, GIES takes stock of Europe, the United States, and the world after the first year of Donald Trump's second term as US president. In 2024, guest author Bruno De Cordier assessed if, and how, relief organisations could take up their humanitarian role in Ukraine's occupied zones. One year prior, the world was hit by a global energy crisis. The 2023 series tackled the crisis head-on. From a variety of different angles and expertise, the crisis is broken down into 12 accessible contributions. In 2022, taken aback by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our research group aimed to look inwards and build on our expertise to shine a light on the crisis. The contributions of the GIES researchers have been bundled together in the first GIES Occasional Paper.
2025 | One Year Trump
Eds. Prof. Dr. Tim Haesebrouck, Arnout Berghs, Thor Geunens, Servaas Taghon, and Martina Chiara Tallarita
The Impact of the Second Trump Administration on Latin American Foreign Policy – by Alberto Maresca
The second Trump administration is showing an unprecedented focus on Latin America. US interference in Latin American domestic politics is causing turmoil, while the military operation against Venezuela is threatening the region’s stability and widening political polarization. This paper argues that far from reasserting US hegemony and distancing other actors from Latin America, Trump’s foreign policy is instead reinforcing the Latin American quest for alternative partnerships, as is the case with China and countries in the Middle East.
European Security under Trump: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – by Tim Haesebrouck and Michelle Haas
The erratic and coercive foreign policy behaviour during Trump’s first year back in office has prompted calls for a tougher European stance toward Washington. Yet such calls overlook a structural reality: Europe remains strongly dependent on the United States for deterrence against Russia. In consequence, a forceful pushback may feel resolute, but it is neither credible nor wise. Europe instead needs a balanced and coordinated approach that recognises the good, does not ignore the bad and avoids overreacting to the ugly. The good is that the United States has neither abandoned NATO nor fully shifted toward Russia on Ukraine, a fragile but essential alignment that Europe should avoid undermining. The bad is that Ukraine remains vulnerable to an unfavourable settlement, while Europe’s dependence allows Washington to exert pressure in other areas. Reducing this vulnerability will take time, so Europe must use its remaining leverage carefully while protecting the credibility of Article Five. The ugly, in turn, consisting of rhetorical provocations and attempts of political interference, should not distract from core strategic interests. In the coming period, it will thus be vital for Europe to preserve the good, push back the bad, and ignore the ugly.
It Takes Four to Tango: Why Trump's Disregard for Ukraine and Europe Forecloses Just and Sustainable Peace – by Servaas Taghon and Fabienne Bossuyt
This paper argues that any peace deal for Ukraine proposed by President Donald Trump should be treated with caution, as it risks producing an unjust and unsustainable settlement that could further destabilise European security. Trump’s approach prioritises rapid deals and improved relations with Russia over Ukraine’s existential needs and justice claims for Russian aggression. Since Trump’s return to office, U.S. policy has increasingly marginalised Ukraine while favouring Moscow, reflecting a broader shift away from the rules-based international order towards spheres of influence. European partners, sidelined by the U.S., while internally divided and militarily constrained, are unable to counterbalance this approach, further undermining prospects for durable peace.
Ceasefire Without Peace? A Critical Analysis of Trump's Gaza Peace Plan – by Sara Canali
This contribution critically examines Trump’s 2025 Peace Plan for Gaza within the broader framework of his Middle East policy since coming into office in January 2025. The paper argues that, while framed as a pragmatic path to stability, the ceasefire and its twenty-point framework have coincided with continued violence and weak accountability for the violations perpetrated by Israel, and overall reveals deep asymmetries between the parties. The analysis shows how demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and investment-led reconstruction shift responsibility onto Palestinians while sidelining claims of political self-determination and territorial continuity. Rather than laying the groundwork for sustainable peace, the plan risks reproducing a form of externally managed, fragile pacification.
This is Trump's NATO, and We Are Living in It – by Berk Vindevogel
NATO has faced numerous threats throughout its rich history, yet the most acute in recent years seems to be the second Trump administration. NATO has reorganised itself; states have significantly increased their defence to please 'daddy' Trump, and leaders across the Alliance stand ready to compliment the President for... well, for anything. Yet NATO remains in crisis. This occasional paper maps how Trump has affected NATO, and how the Alliance must move forward. Concluding that inaction from the European states would effectively paralyse the Alliance for an indefinite period.
What the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity Means for the South Caucasus — and for the People Living There – By Laura Luciani
In August 2025, US President Donald Trump mediated a long-awaited breakthrough between Armenia and Azerbaijan: the countries’ leaders initialled a peace deal and agreed to establish the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Western leaders and the Armenian government celebrated the TRIPP as a step towards peace in a region now central to Europe-Asia connectivity, and where Russia’s presence has waned since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Based on observations in Armenia’s Syunik province, this paper explores how the TRIPP is leveraged to pacify a geopolitically contested region and how local communities navigate infrastructural promises.
The Mysterious Case of Suicidal Hegemony. Or, Is the West Really Dead? – By Goedele De Keersmaeker
After the Cold War, until late in the years 2000, many American theorists predicted a lasting American unipolarity or described the United States in terms of a benevolent, liberal hegemon. Trump policy defies these analyses. This article puts forward different reasons for why balance of power and hegemonic theory, as well as liberal institutionalism could not predict this. Apart from Trump’s personality it also points to some weaknesses in the theoretical frameworks used and argues that they are based on a Western/European biased interpretation of history.
Once More, With Feeling: US Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement – by Hermine Van Coppenolle
One of Donald Trump’s first acts in his second US presidency was withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement. The US has historically played the role of 'rulemaker’ yet is notoriously fickle in its ratification and participation. This paper highlights this history of (non-)cooperation, how this second withdrawal differs from the first, and what the potential consequences, both good and bad, are for global climate governance. It shows how US withdrawal may not lead to a crippled regime but can rather pave the way to a more robust and engaged Paris Agreement.
Museums and Public Memory under Post-Truth Politics – by Ann-Sophie Van Baeveghem
This contribution examines how post-truth politics, exemplified by the first year of the second Trump presidency, intensifies contestation over truth, authority, and legitimacy in public memory. Approaching museums as infrastructures of memory, it argues that declining trust in expertise and institutions destabilizes traditional claims to neutrality and objectivity. Under these conditions, curatorial decisions become increasingly politicized and visible, particularly in relation to colonial and contested histories. The paper situates museums as political and ethical actors and explores how reflexivity, transparency, and accountability can enable them to function as democratic spaces amid epistemic uncertainty.
Central and Eastern Europe Between Washington, Beijing and Brussels: How Does the Visegrad Group Embed Its Hedge Amid the Return of Trump – by Longtai Zhang
As strategic tensions between the U.S. and China escalate and the EU consolidates its ‘de-risking’ agenda, member states in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) confront increasingly complex choices. This paper examines the Visegrad Group’s practice of embedded hedging—a careful balancing act that retains security reliance on Washington while pursuing discrete economic cooperation with Beijing, all from within the EU’s regulatory framework. Through comparative analysis, it illustrates how technical obfuscation, low-profile engagements, and debates over policy wording can soften collective European measures. As U.S. pressure and EU economic security tools expand, this pivotal swing role may intensify, making close scrutiny of Council negotiations and project-level developments essential for policymakers.
Tariffs, Trump, and the EU: Lessons from the Past Year for What Comes Next – by Ferdi De Ville
This essay reviews the first year of President Trump’s second term through the lens of tariffs. It assesses whether tariffs have delivered on four promises: shrinking the US trade deficit, reshoring industrial jobs, raising fiscal revenues and extracting foreign concessions. It examines how the European Union has responded across three tracks – deal, diversify and deter – and what worked. The review concludes that the past year brought lots of tariff spectacle, but few structural changes, for now. The EU learned that trade appeasement invites further escalation, while credible deterrence makes Trump backtrack. In the years ahead, Trump will undoubtedly test the EU’s resolve and unity to stand up when needed.
Economic Means, Political Goals: How the Trump Administration Weaponised the Economy (Again) – by Dawid Walentek
The second Trump presidency has shown a major desire to reorganise international economic exchange and the institutional architecture of trade. The second Trump administration in its first year in office argued that breaking trade relations will make the US more secure and American households wealthier. This foundation allowed to weaponise the US economy in an unprecedented way – tapping into tariffs, export controls and sanctions, among others, to reach political objectives.
When Competition Becomes the Baseline: One Year of Trump 2.0 and US-China Relations – by Tian GAO
The first year of Donald Trump’s return to the White House has quietly reshaped how competition between the United States and China is understood and managed. A particularly consequential shift lies not in new policy instruments, but in expectations. Measures once treated as conditional bargaining tools are increasingly interpreted as permanent constraints, maintained regardless of dialogue or concessions. This change has altered how restraint, escalation, and stability are assessed on both sides. By analysing this shift in interpretation and anticipatory logic, the paper shows how competition is increasingly treated as a baseline rather than a contingent condition, with implications that extend beyond Washington and Beijing to the wider international environment.
The EU's Development Policy in a Post-USAID World – by Petra Debusscher
Donald Trump’s second term has torn up the development playbook, freezing US aid, hollowing out USAID and loosening the multilateral order. For the EU - still the world’s largest aid provider - this is both an opening and a danger: a chance to lead, and a temptation to turn development into leverage. This paper tracks how “geopolitical Europe” is reshaping NDICI–Global Europe and the 2028–34 budget talks, including the proposed removal of binding targets for climate, gender equality and human development in favour of “mainstreaming”. It asks whether the EU can square strategy with solidarity - under the pressures of the war in Ukraine and continued reliance on the US - while keeping its credibility intact.
Donald Quixote's War on Wind: How Trump Harms the European Wind Industry – by Simon Rogissart
This paper examines how Donald Trump’s “war on wind” affects Europe’s wind energy sector within an increasingly bipolar global energy order. While the European Union positions wind energy as a cornerstone of both its energy transition and industrial policy, the United States under Trump—portrayed as a modern Don Quixote—has launched an explicit political and regulatory offensive against the wind industry. At the same time, China’s dominant position in wind energy adds further geopolitical pressure. This paper analyses how Trump’s policies reverberate across the Atlantic and argues that the EU increasingly views the wind industry through a strategic, geopolitical lens.
Deals over Rules: US Economic Statecraft and the BRICS Dilemma – by Giovanni Spina
This paper examines the shift in US economic statecraft during Donald Trump’s second term and its implications for BRICS cohesion and global economic governance. It argues that tariffs and secondary sanctions function as instruments of coercive bargaining that weaponize structural interdependence and exploit asymmetric exposure among BRICS members to the US economy. The analysis traces three dynamics: the strategic logic of Trump’s coercive strategy, BRICS diplomacy during tariff escalation, and the energy sector as one of the primary operational areas for order contestation. Paradoxically, US pressure exposes intra-BRICS vulnerabilities while simultaneously incentivising the group’s cohesion.
Understanding Trump's Anti-Multilateralism and China's Reactions – by Dries Lesage
The paper offers a nuanced explanation of President Trump’s anti-multilateral policy. The latter defies predictions of neoliberal institutionalism by showing how ideas are crucial to understanding how U.S. administrations navigate geopolitical power shifts and global crises. The final paragraph looks into Chinese reactions. China is unable and unwilling to fill the leadership void in the multilateral system. It cooperates constructively and seeks to gain influence in the UN, but at the same time doubles down on its bilateral initiatives supported by multilateral fora – such as the Health Silk Road – to retain maximum control.
Contributions to this GIES Occasional Paper series are launched every weekday. Stay tuned!
2024 | The Occupied Zones in Ukraine
The occupied zones in Ukraine in the event of a frozen conflict: humanitarian no-go areas or unconventional humanitarian space? - By Bruno De Cordier
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the country and its society have not only come to comprise the largest humanitarian crisis context on the European continent since the wars in Yugoslavia and its successor states from 1992 to 1999 and in Chechnya from 1994 to 2000, but also one of the largest acute humanitarian crises globally. Based on the concepts of humanitarian space and humanitarian dilemma, available aid data, policy research, and a set of qualitative interviews with local and international relief practitioners in Ukraine, this contribution treats the question if, and how, relief organizations are to deliver aid to affected populations in portions of southeastern Ukraine that remain under Russian occupation in the event of a frozen conflict. It examines whether the conventional approaches and humanitarian principles of the international aid system remain tenable in such circumstances.
2023 | The Global Energy Crisis
Eds. Hermine Van Coppenolle, Dr. Tim Haesebrouck, Anissa Bougrea, and Servaas Taghon
Europe's Energy Crunch: No Time for Complacency - by Thijs Van de Graaf
Ten months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, winter has arrived in an energy-crunched Europe. Professor Thijs Van de Graaf breaks down the dynamics behind European gas politics during the war, explaining how its response has fallen short and what opportunities still remain.
The Case of Algeria: EU short-term energy policy inconsistencies and their possible long-term consequences - by Reinhilde Bouckaert
The invasion of Ukraine had a profound impact on the EU’s energy situation. The Member States’ approach to replace Russian gas has been to stand in line “pleading” other autocratic states, such as Algeria for new (mid to long-term) gas contracts. This is inconsistent with the European Commission’s earlier policies, possibly having long-term unintended consequences such as a carbon lock-in for fossil fuel suppliers as well as a loss of the EU’s climate leadership credibility. Instead, the scarce financial means should be directed towards measures in Algeria having results in the shorter term such as energy efficiency and DSM, clean energy investments and actions to diminish flaring leaving more gas to export.
LNG: Saviour or a New Problem in the Making? - by Moniek de Jong
The invasion of Ukraine has led the EU on the hunt for non-Russian sources of gas and has found this in the shape of LNG. But this liquid gas might not be the solution to Europe’s problems. LNG is used to exert political pressure, as is evident by Qatargate, and LNG from the US might provide less stability than expected. It also raises climate concerns through emissions and carbon lock-in through new investments and long-term contracts. LNG is not the hopeful solution to this crisis, but a potential new problem. Europe will need to focus on increasing energy efficiency and maximizing renewables.
The European radical-Right and the Energy Crisis: a Window of Opportunity - by Jasper Praet
While rising energy prices are a major burden on families and firms, for radical-right parties, they can be a window of opportunity. If these parties adapt their ideology to this new crisis, voters could be persuaded that a radical-right party is more than just an anti-immigration platform. Furthermore, when energy insecurity is perceived as a serious threat, radical-right actors can use this as an excuse to rekindle the relationship with Russia or to hinder climate mitigation efforts. Recent events show that the radical-right indeed appears to connect its ideology and longstanding positions to the energy crisis, suggesting they need not fear (electorally speaking) a political environment where immigration policy is not on top of the political agenda.
The Energy Crisis and Global Climate Goals: Popping Empty Promises? - by Hermine Van Coppenolle
As climate change is felt more and more deeply each year, the need for climate action becomes increasingly pressing. The energy crisis makes for an increasingly tight geopolitical climate for environmental action. Are countries maintaining their trajectory towards limiting global warming, or are their climate plans popping under the pressure of the crisis? Looking into the ambition gap and the implementation gap, this contribution stresses the importance of rapid and concrete climate action.
Another Wage Price Spiral in the Making? A Comparison of the 2020s and 1970s - by Mattias Vermeiren
In the wake of pandemic-induced disruptions of global supply chains and skyrocketing energy prices, inflation soared to levels unseen since the 1970s. This caused concern among central bankers and policymakers that advanced economies might get caught in a wage price spiral – a vicious cycle of rising wages and prices that many believe was at the centre of the 1970s stagflation crisis. Mattias Vermeiren provides a Kaleckian interpretation of the role of central banks in containing inflation, comparing the current episode with the 1970s stagflation crisis.
Hydrogen: A Deus Ex Machina for Today's Energy Crisis? - by Marie Dejonghe
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the announcements of hydrogen projects are accelerating, and hydrogen is put forward to play a key role in transitioning away from (Russian) natural gas. Although the role of the molecule in mitigating the effects of today’s energy crisis may be limited, hydrogen serves as a good candidate for reshaping today’s fossil fuel-centered energy market. It is therefore important to start setting up a hydrogen market today and to choose import partners wisely. This will not only increase Europe’s energy security but make an inclusive and sustainable energy transition possible.
The Arctic: Does the North Hold the Solution for the Energy Crisis? - by Berk Vindevogel
Whilst Arctic air masses brought the coldest air of the season to Europe last December, policymakers have been in a hurry to divert away from Russian energy sources and keep the standard of living high. This paper asks what the role of the Arctic has been in the current energy crisis in the European Union and how it can play a part in neutralising future energy crises. The paper concludes that the EU is undergoing an internal shift in the Arctic, whereby it moves away from Russian Arctic fossil fuel resources to resources stemming from Arctic allies, with Norway leading the pack. However, a sustainable solution should be focused on renewable energy, where cooperation with Russia can prove beneficial.
Why raising interest rates to fight off energy inflation is counterproductive - by Hielke Van Doorslaer
After more than two decades of stubbornly low inflation, advanced economy central banks had to abruptly switch from monetary easing to monetary tightening in order to contain newborn inflationary pressures propelled by the pandemic and Ukraine war related supply disruptions and energy price spikes. Whereas in the past, central banks were struggling to bring inflation up to target (2 percent), they are now confronted with the opposite task of trying to curb it. Around the world, inflation-targeting central banks are under pressure to demonstrate their commitment to low inflation and restore their anti-inflationary credentials. What is overlooked in all of this is that inflation is a multidimensional and multifaceted phenomenon that often has many other causes than excess demand or an economy ‘running hot’. As such, interest rate hikes will not address the root causes of today’s inflation.
The Return of Industrial Policy in the European Union - by Ferdi De Ville
Industrial policy is making a surprising comeback in the European Union. This return is a response to industrial policies of others, the Union’s increased climate ambitions, and reinforced geopolitical tensions. While the EU for some time has tried in vain to create the world economy in its own image, has more recently started to assertively protect its model against the policies of others, it is now embracing industrial policy itself. A new European industrial policy could democratize, accelerate, and render more just the green and digital transitions. To achieve these benefits, it requires funding from the European rather than national level, needs to boost additional investment rather than the profits of established firms, and needs to happen in a transparent, conditional, and inclusive way.
From the Energy Crisis to (Re)Imagining the Energy Transition - by Kimberley Vandenhole and Erik Paredis
Tackling climate change and realising the deep decarbonisation required for remaining within the 1,5°C climate target of the Paris Agreement is impossible without a huge transition in the energy system. Does the current energy crisis provide an opportunity for such an ambition? In theory yes, but we fear that today’s energy crisis is framed in such a way that it does not contribute enough to a process of reimagining the energy system. An important reason is that the current framing leads to policies that mainly focus on technological options and rising energy supply instead of on structural long-term demand reduction and redistribution.
A Place of Greater Safety? The EU’s Clean Energy Security During the Clean Tech Race - by Mathieu Blondeel
Energy security has risen to the top of political agendas since the war in Ukraine. As a consequence, one of the main pillars of the EU's REPowerEU plan is now to accelerate the clean energy transition. This paper highlights that the transition to a renewables-based energy system does not automatically ensure energy security. However, with the right strategy and incentives, the EU could become a place of greater safety.
2022 | The War in Ukraine
Eds. Dr. Tim Haesebrouck, Servaas Taghon and Hermine Van Coppenolle
The End of Globalisation As We Know It - by Ferdi De Ville
While it is impossible to predict the outcome of the war in Ukraine in the short term, we can more confidently assess its medium-term consequences. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the unprecedented sanctions with which the west has responded will be a watershed in the trajectory of the global economy. The consequences of the economic isolation of Russia will long outlive the duration of the war and the sanctions. Globalisation will never fully recover from this blow.
Putin is Afraid of Europe - by Klaas Wauters and Hendrik Vos
It is still said here and there, even in academic circles: we must understand the Russian president. This contribution looks at Putin, the history of the Soviet Union and the strength of the European Project.
Putin Is Creating the Multipolar World He (Thought He) Wanted - by Sven Biscop, Bart Dessein and Jasper Roctus
Up until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s and China’s worsening relations with the European Union and the United States meant that the world order was at risk of falling apart into two rival blocs, as during the Cold War: Europeans and Americans against Russians and Chinese. Since 24 February 2022, that is not so clear anymore. The more Russia escalates the violence in Ukraine, but also the strategic anxiety (by putting its nuclear forces on alert), the more difficult it becomes for other powers to stay completely aloof, let alone to simply align with Russia. The more EU and US sanctions reverberate throughout the global economy, the more it becomes impossible for other powers to avoid going at least partially along. China in particular has in fact already made a defining choice.
How the War in Ukraine Affects Countries That Depend on Russia - by Karolina Kluczewska
Karolina Kluczewska was doing field research in Tajikistan when Russia attacked Ukraine. In a country where people usually are not concerned about world affairs, the war suddenly became a frequent topic of discussion, and a major preoccupation of many people whose livelihoods depend on Russia. This post-Soviet Central Asian country is tied to Russia in many ways: historically, politically and, most importantly, economically. In this paper Karolina sketches how the first weeks of the war in Ukraine affected Tajikistan.
The War in Ukraine and Turkey's Hedging Strategy Between the West and Russia - by Dries Lesage, Emin Daskin and Hasan Yar
In the face of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey takes a cautious position in line with its hedging strategy between the West and Russia, with the aim to maintain positive relations with both sides. Turkey has armed Ukraine and condemned Russia’s aggression. But it does not join Western sanctions against Russia. Due to traumatic historical experiences, Turkey does not want to be caught up in a conflict between major powers/blocs and prefers to retain its strategic autonomy. Recent crises of confidence between Turkey and the West reinforce this stance. Due to its geographical location and bad economic situation, Turkey has a direct interest in a rapid end to the war. This explains its active mediation role, where theoretically a more passive stance was possible. In addition, this high-profile mediation might also enhance Turkey’s international standing and help stem the decline of popularity of the incumbent leadership domestically.
Europe's Energy Transition Will Disarm Putin - by Moniek de Jong and Thijs Van De Graaf
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a watershed moment for Europe’s energy policy. This paper looks at Europe's energy and gas dependency on Russia, its history and the valence of the green energy transition.
Russia After the Cold War and Germany After World War I, a Cautious Comparison - by Goedele De Keersmaeker
From a new friend of the West to a resentful Weimar-Russia and beyond.
In the Winter 1990/1991 issue of Foreign Affairs, Charles Krauthammer published a famous article that was the start of a whole school of academic and non-academic analyses describing the world after the Cold War in terms of American unipolarity, primacy, hegemony or even empire. Though the article was entitled ‘The Unipolar Moment’ Krauthammer and his followers were convinced that American dominance in international politics was there to stay for many decades. More particularly he considered the ‘emergence of a reduced but resurgent, xenophobic and resentful “Weimar” Russia’, as an extremely formulated speculation. Such threats to American security could develop, he acknowledged, but they could not be predicted in 1990, just as it was impossible to predict Nazism in 1920. Thirty years later we are there.
Freezing Russia's Central Bank Reserves: Much Ado About Nothing? - by Mattias Vermeiren
Western countries have responded to the invasion of Ukraine with a plethora of sanctions that seek to completely isolate Russia from the western-dominated international financial and monetary system. This paper discusses the possible objectives behind the western sanctions, as well as the possible consequences of Russia's isolation from the financial system.
Russia's Invasion in Ukraine: What Happened Before? - by Servaas Taghon and Tim Haesebrouck
On February 24th 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion into Ukraine, causing a horrific humanitarian tragedy for the Ukrainian people and what might become the most consequential geopolitical conflict since the end of the Cold War. In this contribution, we describe the key events that happened before Russia’s war on Ukraine, starting in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union and ending with the start of Russia’s aggression. We do not aim to look for the historical causes of the war, nor can we hope to provide a full history of the Russia-Ukraine relationship in this short piece. Our goal is limited to providing some historical background to the conflict.
Between Imperialism and Soft Power: Reckoning With Russia's Past, Present, and Future National Idea -by John Irgengioro
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine tends to be seen as concerning not only for Ukraine’s existence, but also Russia’s future. Although it seemed that Putin singlehandedly ordered this invasion, his fateful decision is bringing to a crescendo Russia’s long time reckoning with its own national idea over the past three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This war is unravelling deeply existentialist questions about the trajectory of the Russian Federation as a successor state of the USSR: how to reckon itself with its past legacy of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, how to conceptualise its national idea of the present, and what to make of Russia’s paths for its future.
Understanding China's Diplomatic Stances vis-à-vis the Russia-Ukraine Crisis - by Huanyu Zhao and Jing Yu
In this contribution, Huanyu Zhao and Jing Yu map the official Chinese position towards the Ukraine conflict. The paper offers a structured and concise overview of the official Chinese discourse on the conflict.