Editorial paper at Robert Lansing Institute

The Potash Trap for Washington: How Minsk and Moscow Are Seeking to Leverage U.S. Interest in the Nezhinsky Potash Project to Undermine the Sanctions Regime

In December 2025 and again in March 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) eased certain restrictions affecting Belarus's potash sector and selected financial institutions. Reuters…

June 8, 2026Belarus, Russia, Sanctions, USA

Drug trafficking

Cocaine Scandal Surrounding Metropolitan Hilarion: Implications for the Russian Orthodox Church, Kremlin Influence Networks, and Transnational Illicit Activity

Police in the Czech Republic have officially confirmed that the white powder discovered in the car of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), the former head of the Czech branch of the Russian…

June 5, 2026Orthodox church, Russia

Conflict National Security

The Evolution of the White House’s Approach to the War in Ukraine: From Rapid Settlement to Strategic

Recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mark a significant shift in the White House's approach toward the war in Ukraine. Rubio's statement that Russia "cannot achieve its negotiating goals…

June 4, 2026Russia, Ukraine, USA

Geopolitics Intelligence ops National Security

The Strategic Logic Behind the Polish-British Defense Pact

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has stated that Warsaw seeks the closest possible coordination with London in response to growing Russian military and hybrid threats. According to Prime Minister Donald…

June 3, 2026United Kingdom

Economy Geoeconomics Governance

Denmark’s Sanctions Loophole: How Fayard Helps Sustain Russia’s Arctic LNG Fleet

Despite the tightening of EU sanctions policy and public criticism from the Danish government, one of Europe’s largest shipyards—the Danish shipbuilding company Fayard—continues to service ice-class LNG carriers that facilitate…

June 2, 2026Denmark, Russia, Sanctions

National Security Warfare

Japanese Technologies in the Production Cycle of KN-23/KN-24 Missiles

Risks to Japan’s National Security and the Need for Enhanced Export Controls Analysis of debris from North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles used by Russia in attacks against Ukraine…

June 2, 2026China, DPRK, Japan, Sanctions, USA

Geopolitics Intelligence ops

AfD in St. Petersburg: How the Kremlin Cultivates Political Influence Inside Germany

Four members of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) have confirmed their participation in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), scheduled to take place from June 3–6, 2026. The…

June 1, 2026AfD, Germany, Russia

Democracy Governance

Colombia’s 2026 Presidential Election: Polarization, Security Crisis, and the Battle for the Post-Petro Era

Colombia’s 2026 presidential election represents one of the most consequential political contests in Latin America. The vote is evolving into a referendum on the legacy of President Gustavo Petro —…

May 29, 2026Colombia, elections

Conflict Geopolitics Terrorism Warfare

Russian Shahed Strike on Romania and the Targeting of a Turkish Vessel in the Black Sea: Accident, Escalation, or Deliberate Strategy?

The reported impact of a Russian-origin Shahed-type drone on a residential building in the Romanian city of Galați, combined with the reported strike on a Turkish-operated vessel departing a Ukrainian…

May 29, 2026NATO, Romania, Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine

Geopolitics

Armenia as Russia’s Last Stronghold in the South Caucasus: Why the Kremlin’s Retreat Could Trigger a Wider Eurasian Geopolitical Collapse

The gradual erosion of Russian influence in Armenia may become one of the most strategically important geopolitical shifts in Eurasia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armenia has long represented…

May 28, 2026Armenia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

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