In his speech to the UN General Assembly in September, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that the process of forming a ‘New Central Asia’ has begun. Certainly in 2026, Central Asia is expected to become an increasingly cohesive and strategic geopolitical community.
Category Archives: Blog
Georgia on the Brink: Election Day or Democracy on the Streets
The 4 October local elections in Georgia unfolded under a cloud of state capture, repression, and public defiance.
International Legal Order and Political Will: How Covert Politics Averted the Harmonization of the ICC’s jurisdiction Over the Crime of Aggression
From 7-9 July 2025, a Special Session of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute convened to undertake a mandated review of the Kampala amendments on the crime of aggression. This ASP presented a rare opportunity to finally harmonize the ICC’s jurisdiction over all four core crimes.
From Dialogue to Discord: Buzzers and Conflict in Indonesia’s Online Public Sphere
Indonesia’s digital public sphere has shifted from a space of democratic expression to one increasingly influenced by government-sponsored buzzers to suppress criticism.
The Fall of Milorad Dodik and the Future of Republika Srpska
Considering Milorad Dodik’s conviction, awaiting incarceration, and replacement in his role as President of Republika Srpska, the possible implications for the future differ, in diverse thematic spheres.
The ICC’s Arrest of Rodrigo Duterte: Progress and Implications
On 11 March 2025, the Philippines witnessed an event many had long awaited yet few had truly believed would occur. Former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Court.
The Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan: Tightening grip on power amid anxiety over foreign influences
2024 was a year of elections for Azerbaijan. The presidential vote, which was not due until October 2025, was moved ahead to February 2024 following the military success of Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. Predictably, incumbent President Ilham Aliyev secured his fifth consecutive term since he took over from his father, Heydar Aliyev, in 2003.
Is Serbia facilitating Belarus’ political exploitation of INTERPOL?
Journalist and filmmaker Andrei Gnyot has left Serbia for the EU, but is still waiting on a final decision in the court case on his now hypothetical extradition to Belarus.
Sri Lanka’s New President Offers Hope of a Fresh Start on Human Rights
Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as Sri Lanka’s new president last month, raising hopes of a fresh start after years of economic strife and a deterioration of the country’s human rights situation.
The “Politicization” of “Western” Sanctions in Republika Srpska
By framing targeted sanctions as an instrument through which the US and UK are pursuing their “anti-Serb” policy in Bosnia-Herzegovina, designees and politicians in Republika Srpska are, on the one hand, effectively de-legitimizing the measure in the eyes of the public opinion in Republika Srpska. On the other, they are portraying themselves as the “protectors” of the Serbs, their rights and, ultimately, their existence within Bosnia-Herzegovina.