Russia

How does the Kremlin interpret developments in the Iranian arena, what lessons does it derive from the course of the war, and what implications do these developments hold for the Russian sphere?

A year after the fall of Assad—Russia’s client—the security relationship between Moscow and Damascus is being renewed, a development that does not serve Israel’s interests and may even generate risks for its operations

What is behind Russia’s escalating rhetoric and military actions toward European countries?

Conspiracy theories play a major role in Russia’s contemporary political culture, and in the Putinist regime, they have been harnessed to justify the invasion of Ukraine and the repression of Russian citizens. Key to these justifications is the way that conspiracy theories portray Russia as an alternative to a corrupt and Machiavellian West, an enemy who is the absolute Other. In practice, this narrative makes it possible to identify enemies, whether external or internal, according to shifting political needs and circumstances. Since the narrative also frees Russian politics from the constraints of historical facts, the regime has been able to frame the Russia–Ukraine war as a continuation of the Second World War and as the moral struggle of light against dark.