In appearing with Bible in hand at the time of crisis, Trump is signaling his position as defender of traditional values, while ‘othering’ detractors. Russia’s Putin and India’s Modi have done similar things.
A woman observes social distancing guidelines as she rides the subway in Moscow, Russia. President Vladimir Putin has been accused of suppressing the number of deaths from COVID-19.
(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
The coronavirus has affected almost every country in the world, but there are major differences in how health data is being reported. Politics often dictates how the data is shared.
Israeli families hold pictures of relatives killed in the Soviet Union struggle against the Nazis in WWII, Jerusalem, May 2015.
EPA/Abir Sultan
Is Vladimir Putin angling to stay in power after his latest term expires in 2024? There are three possible reasons to explain his move to back a constitutional amendment to reset his term limits.
Ukrainian soldiers wait ahead of a prisoner exchange with Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region in December 2019.
Valeri Kvit/EPA
A conflict frozen in time seems a possible outcome after a reshuffle of top officials in Ukraine and Russia.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the opening of the new Turkish embassy in Mogadishu in June 2016.
MOHAMED Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images
Turkey harbours strong national ambitions, and a willingness to grow and use its military muscle alongside economic instruments.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the International Libya Conference in Berlin, Germany, 19 January 2020.
EPA/ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Putin’s proposed changes to the constitution appear to be limiting the power of the presidency. But his sights are set beyond 2024 when he’ll no longer be president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and now-former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (R) in Sochi, Russia, Dec. 7, 2019.
Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Russia’s cabinet resigned Wednesday, and it looked like an unexpected move. But a Russia scholar says it is part of a plan by leader Vladimir Putin to maintain power after he leaves office.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump meet the press at the 2019 NATO summit in London.
AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization celebrates its 70th anniversary with a leaders’ meeting in London, five US scholars shed light on NATO’s history and its potential future.
In Ukraine, President Zelenskiy has a new nickname - Monica.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has some not-so-funny issues facing him. Having his country ridiculed in the impeachment hearings won’t make solving them easier.
Two autocrats: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, and Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, right, in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 7, 2019.
AP/Presidential Press Service
Today’s autocrats rarely use brute force to wrest control. A human rights and international law scholar details the modern authoritarian’s latest methods to grab and hold power.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a joint press conference following their talks in the Black sea resort of Sochi on October 22, 2019.
Sergei CHIRIKOV / POOL / AFP
The EU’s rhetoric after Turkey’s military incursion in Syria has not been backed by concrete action or a persuasive engagement with Erdogan’s government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (waving) with some of the heads of state who attended the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia.
SEFE-EPA-Pool/Sergei Chirikov
The Russian government would like to free itself from the global Internet. This push for “digital sovereignty” has raised technical scepticism and political concerns.