From the History of the Belarusian Revolution
Mass protests following the rigged presidential election turned out to be the largest opposition movement against the authorities in the history of independent Belarus. Although Alexander Lukashenko continues to hold the reins of government, he lost legitimization and the majority of Belarusians are against him.
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Day 77 & 78 – Tsikhanouskaya’s General Strike
Over 300 demonstrators were detained in Minsk, Brest, Grodno, Mogilev and Lida on Monday. If the opposition hoped that the strike would turn into a real general strike on its first day, it was wrong.
Russia As Hydrogen Giant? Deputy Energy Minister Reveals Optimism
Russia may soon export far bigger volumes of hydrogen than those outlined in a new government policy by 2035, according to the country’s Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin. The government blueprint forecasts 2 million tons of hydrogen per year.
Bulgaria Blocks EU Accession Negotiations with North Macedonia
North Macedonia, which is aspiring to join the European Union (EU), had to face the challenges of complicated relations with its neighbors, especially Greece and Bulgaria. These countries have difficulty in recognizing the statehood or ethnicity of their neighbor in the north and west respectively.
Lavrov Visits Minsk: Russia Wants Lukashenko to Implement Commitments
During Sergey Lavrov’s latest visit to Minsk, both parties delivered some declarations on the solid Russian-Belarus alliance. However – and perhaps above all – with this trip, Russia sought to remind Alexander Lukashenko of what commitments he had made at the September meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi.
In the Interest of the Kremlin? Russian Oligarch Creates Far-Right Movement
Konstantin Malofeev has been around in Russian politics since at least 2014 when he gained notoriety for the vital role he had played in financing separatists in Crimea and Donbas. Now he is setting his sight on forming a social movement, possibly to help monitor far-right moods that have been on the rise in Russia.
China is Aging at a Rapid Pace
At the end of 2019, the number of Chinese citizens aged over 60 exceeded 254 million, which translates into 18.1% of the population. This number is expected to rise to 300 million in 2025 and 400 million in 2035. Among scientists there is a consensus that the process of population ageing will accelerate rapidly in the coming decades, resulting in a number of difficulties for the Chinese economic and pension systems.
Xi Jinping’s Vision for the BRICS Group
An online summit of the BRICS members (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was held on November 17. It was already the 12th meeting of this format, this time chaired by Moscow. Xi Jinping once again presented the Chinese vision of world order, calling for cooperation and maintaining multilateralism.
Nordics are Arming
New defence bills of Sweden and Norway will increase their defence budgets by 40% and 27%, respectively. Meanwhile, Finland’s purchase of new fighter jets and upgrade of its navy fleet will raise the expenditures by 54% between 2020 and 2021.
Russian Inspection: Lavrov, Shoigu Visit Armenia and Azerbaijan
Over the course of just one day, a high-ranking Russian government delegation traveled to Armenia and then Azerbaijan – the two Caucasus countries being now in an open conflict one with another. On the sidelines of the talks, the Russians discussed dispatching its troops to the Nagorno-Karabakh war theater, possibly with more servicemen to be sent than initially agreed.
Event Summary: Challenges For Energy Security. Transatlantic Approach.
On Tuesday, November 17, Warsaw Institute had the pleasure to host a discussion entitled CHALLENGES FOR ENERGY SECURITY. TRANSATLANTIC APPROACH. Our honourable guest, H.E. Ambassador Virginia E. Palmer, was interviewed by Tomasz Kijewski of Warsaw Institute.
Polish-American Innovation Bridge (PAMI)
We are delighted to invite you to a Top500 Innovators – Polish-American Innovation Bridge (PAMI) online conference, taking place on November 19th and 20th, over which the Warsaw Institute is honoured to have media patronage.
US Presidential Election from the Perspective of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe
In November 2020, the United States will elect a president. This is a significant event not only for America and the Americans themselves, but also for the whole world.
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Special Reports
From the History of the Belarusian Revolution
Mass protests following the rigged presidential election turned out to be the largest opposition movement against the authorities in the history of independent Belarus. Although Alexander Lukashenko continues to hold the reins of government, he lost legitimization and the majority of Belarusians are against him.
US Presidential Election 2020. Principles, Specificity, Influence on Foreign Policy
On November 3, the 2020 United States presidential election will be held. The main rivals are the current President Donald Trump, representing the Republican Party, and Joe Biden, a Democrat known primarily for his role as the Vice President under Barack Obama.
Baltic States Versus Russian Hybrid Threats
The threat from Russia’s foreign and security policy relying upon the strategic concept of rebuilding the sphere of influence in the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, is what connects internal security of the Baltic States – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Mechanisms of disinformation of the 21st century
Kamil Basaj, founder and president of the INFO OPS Poland Foundation, talked to Izabela Wojtyczka, editor-in-chief of The Warsaw Institute Review, about manipulation, information warfare and extensive disinformation operations.
Building Peace in the Persian Gulf
On August 13, 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a very special peace agreement. As per the document, the UAE will officially become the third Arab country to normalize its relations with Israel. In an interview with The Warsaw Institute Review, H.E. Mr. Alexander Ben Zvi – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to the Republic of Poland, explained the importance of this step and talked about recent developments and threats in the Middle East.
Will the “maximum pressure” campaign force Iran to negotiate with the US?
The combination of the effects of American sanctions, the oil market crash, and the COVID-19 pandemic, has put the Iranian economy in a challenging situation. The country‘s economic situation is now under the government’s control. However, it may deteriorate further if the plans of the authorities to finance the state budget fail
The Baltic Fund – A New Idea for the Region
The establishment of the Baltic Fund is a proposal for a strategic move of the Polish state northwards – initially towards the Baltic States and then towards the Nordic countries. The initiator and originator of this geopolitical project is the Polish think tank – the Warsaw Institute – whilst the idea is supported by four other Baltic think tanks.
Stealth War
While the free market economy and democracy pose the biggest threats to the Communist Party of China (CPC), Western capital flows allow the People’s Republic of China, or PRC to finance its economic, military, and technological advancement.
Belarusian protests in the context of transformations in the post-Soviet area
In recent years, Belarus has remained the only country in the region that maintained its stability within the authoritarian political system of Alexander Lukashenko. The leader of Belarus retained power by building a narrative in which the fear of the oligarchization of political life, war, and destabilization in neighboring Ukraine overshadowed the need to build a democratic state.
A Difficult Transatlantic Cooperation
In the face of the growing economic and structural crisis as well as the global rise of China’s power, Europe and the United States should overcome reciprocal grievances and prejudices, revisiting the spirit of transatlantic cooperation that has been mutually beneficial in the past.
Belarus: the war for the Russian world
The presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 2020, was officially won by incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko. However, there is no doubt that this election was rigged – which triggered protests on a scale previously unseen in an independent Belarus.
The intricacies of (un)lasting Turkish-Russian alliances
The Turkish-Russian alliance was supposed to be temporary. It seemed that the clash of interests of Ankara and Moscow in the Black Sea–Caucasus region would permanently prevent their long-term cooperation. This was accompanied by the wars in Syria and Libya, in both of which Russia and Turkey supported the opposing parties.
The Importance of Future British-Polish Relations
Global Britain is a new era for British-Polish relations, and an opportunity for Warsaw to capitalize on a strategic – and sovereign – relationship.
Warsaw Institute
