The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2015. In the 2018 Transparency International report, Venezuela ranks 168 and Russia ranks 138. The least-corrupt country in the world is Denmark, followed by strong democracies such as New Zealand, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
kremlin.ru
The rankings in Transparency International’s 2018 index shows that highly democratic countries tend to have low levels of corruption. Is there something inherent in corruption that can kill democracy?
Military action during the NATO-led military exercise in Trondheim, Norway on Oct. 30, 2018. The NATO exercises included some 3,000 troops, 20 ships, several tanks and about 50 aircraft from various nations.
(Gorm Kallestad/NTB scanpix via AP)
Military exercises are more than just ‘war games’ – they’re aimed at signalling military capability and intent. But NATO must honour its commitment to transparency, and pressure Russia to do the same.
Look out for Russian influence.
M-SUR/Shutterstock.com
Terry Thompson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
European countries, especially the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have confronted Russian disinformation campaigns for decades. The US can learn from their experience.
All too often the Arctic region is portrayed as an area on the cusp of military invasion. This is an easy narrative to sell. But is there really a new Cold War coming?
Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih.
AP Photo/Ronald Zak
The oil-exporting organization may have mustered the political will to cut production, but its disunity remains intact.
In 2014, this boy was affected by what activists say was a gas attack on the Syrian town of Telminnes; the most recent chemical attack was reported in late November, 2018
REUTERS/Amer Alfaj
For decades, international law did not allow one country to attack another that was using chemical weapons on its own people without UN approval. That’s changed, which means trouble for Syria.
Russian troops during a 2017 winter warfare exercise.
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New trade routes and a wealth of natural resources are becoming increasingly available – and everyone wants a part of them.
After a positive start, Morrison’s relations with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, cooled off after he suggested moving the Australian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has a busy summit season ahead of him. After early foreign policy stumbles, it’s important he reads his briefs, listens to the diplomats and stays humble.
China is moving into Kazakhstan, but who will benefit?
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A chemist explains what it is, how it’s made – and its devastating consequences.
In this February 2016 photo, people wave German flags in Erfurt, central Germany, during a demonstration initiated by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
(AP Photo/Jens Meyer, file)
The political power of Germany’s Russian community is significant, and it’s helped fuel the rise of the right-wing, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party known as the AfD.
Russia is increasingly making its military power felt in the Asia-Pacific region.
Francis R. Malasig/EPA
With Russia’s military capacity and soft power influence steadily increasing in the Asia-Pacific region, it may be time to reevaluate Australia’s Russia strategy.
Patriarch Bartolomew: making moves into Ukraine.
Shutterstock
With the Syrian conflict right on its borders, and Russia and Iran increasingly shaping the region’s politics, Turkey is becoming beholden to NATO’s enemies.
To try and understand the Russian revolution outside of the broader social context of the time is to neglect the development of nationhood in the region.
Wikicommons
Students from former Soviet countries who study in the US or Europe are more likely to develop liberal political views.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, following their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 7, 2018.
Reuters/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool
Gordon Adams, American University School of International Service
The US was once the dominant force in the Middle East. That old order has disappeared. Now the new powers are Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia – and the US needs a new policy for the region.