Expert Commentary December 10, 2024 What’s Next for Syria, the Region, and the World? By: Philip Wasielewski, Mohammed Soliman, Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Joshua Krasna Philip Wasielewski Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power has ended the Baath Party’s and Assad dynasty’s long rule over Syria. The Baath Party is secular, but the Assads are Alawites, a Shia-sect found mostly along Syria’s coast. Today, the force... Read more	Baltic Bulletin December 9, 2024 Lithuania’s Political Shift: Domestic and Foreign Policy By: Linas Kojala In October 2024, Lithuania’s opposition Social Democratic Party (LSDP) emerged victorious in the parliamentary elections, defeating the center-right Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), which had been in power since 2020. The Social Democrats secured 52 seats, while... Read more	Analysis December 9, 2024 The Rise of the “Gators” and Its Implications for the Indo-Pacific By: Jaehan Park The American people chose former president Donald J. Trump once again. For the rest of the world, the most important question is what Trump’s foreign policy will be like in his second term. Often described as “isolationist” by pundits,... Read more
Podcasts December 5, 2024 Russian Political Warfare and the Georgian and Moldovan Elections In this episode, Phil Wasielewski follows up on the recent Overheard podcast Russia’s Other War in Europe to examine just how Russia worked to manipulate voting and voter sentiments this past October in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Moldova.... Read more	Analysis December 4, 2024 The Case for an IndoMed Quad: India, Italy, UAE, and US Cooperation By: Emanuele Rossi The Indo-Mediterranean region faces escalating instability, from Houthi missile strikes disrupting maritime routes vital to piracy and regional conflicts in the Horn of Africa. A strategic IndoMed Quad—comprising the United States, United Arab Emirates, India, and Italy—offers a pragmatic... Read more	Conversations December 4, 2024 Baltic Leadership in the European Commission By: Ben Gardner-Gill, Andžej Pukšto Ben Gardner-Gill: Hello, and welcome to Baltic Ways, a podcast bringing you insights from the world of Baltic Studies. I’m your cohost, Ben Gardner-Gill. Professor Andžej Pukšto is a political scientist based at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. His... Read more
Analysis November 25, 2024 Tajikistan’s Afghan Conundrum By: Bruce Pannier Tajikistan’s policies toward neighboring Taliban-ruled Afghanistan are reaching a pivotal moment. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his government have always viewed the Taliban as a threat, and that position has not changed since the Taliban returned to power in... Read more	Analysis November 22, 2024 The Operational and Strategic Genius of the Kursk Offensive By: Dan Cox Current analysis of the recent offensive conducted by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia is incomplete at best and misguided at worst. Most of the pundits are focused on speculating whether the recent offensive will anger American... Read more	Revisiting Orbis November 20, 2024 Advice for the Incoming Administration By: Nikolas K. Gvosdev In the Fall 2024 issue of the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s journal Orbis, we feature several articles that offer practical advice to the incoming administration on how to improve the national security decision-making process. John Mauk offers guidance... Read more