Governance Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Malata Naha: The Basotho Nationalist Surge and the Risks of a Cross-Border Insurgency

Lesotho’s top security officials have warned of a militant group called Malata Naha ("land reclaimers") recruiting Basotho youth and training them on South African farms to foment insurrection or reclaim territory. South…

August 14, 2025Lesotho, South Africa

Coup Governance

Mali After the Arrests: Scenarios for Power, Instability, and Foreign Influence”

Media reports confirm that Mali’s junta has arrested between 20 and 50 soldiers over the past few days for allegedly plotting to topple Colonel Assimi Goïta’s military government. Among those detained are:…

August 14, 2025Mali

Geopolitics Governance Warfare

Belarus’ New Defense Law Proposal: Strategic Alignment with Russia or Prelude to Escalation?

In August 2025, the lower house of the Belarusian parliament received a draft law from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus titled "On Amendments to Laws on Ensuring…

August 6, 2025Belarus, Russia, Ukraine

Democracy Governance

The Strategic Gamble of Power: President Touadéra’s Third-Term Bid in the Central African Republic

I. Introduction President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s official confirmation of his candidacy for a third term, following a controversial constitutional overhaul in 2023, marks a decisive turn in the Central African Republic’s…

July 31, 2025CAR, Russia

Democracy Governance

Côte d’Ivoire on the Brink: Alassane Ouattara’s Fourth Term Bid and Its Implications

President Alassane Ouattara’s reported intention to seek a fourth term in Côte d’Ivoire has reignited domestic and international concerns about the erosion of democratic norms, the resurgence of ethnic and…

July 30, 2025Cote d’Ivoire

Governance Intelligence ops

Alleged Coup Planning Within Russia’s General Staff

Recent unverified claims from Russian sources suggest that certain officers within Russia’s General Staff are allegedly considering a coup-style operation, fearing repression or purges if the war in Ukraine ends…

July 29, 2025Russia

Geopolitics Governance

Austria’s Neutrality Under Pressure: Toward a Strategic Shift in Security Policy?

Austria’s historic policy of neutrality—enshrined in its 1955 State Treaty and a cornerstone of post-war identity—is now under serious scrutiny. Mounting geopolitical instability, European disillusionment with "neutrality," and the persistent threat…

July 28, 2025Austria, NATO, Russia

Governance

Kosovo is facing a political crisis

Kosovo is entering a dangerous and uncertain political terrain if it fails to make a decision by July 27 to constitute the Assembly. The ex officio decision of the Constitutional…

July 25, 2025Kosovo

Governance Intelligence ops National Security

Borderline Politics: Russian-Linked Actors in Finland and the Campaign to Reopen the Finnish–Russian Border

A small but vocal group of politicians and public figures in Finland, some with Russian citizenship or familial ties to Russia, are actively pushing for the reopening of the Finnish-Russian…

July 25, 2025Finland, NATO, Russia

Conflict Governance

Borders, Bombs, and Belief: Southern Syria on the Brink

Since July 13, the Sweida province in Syria — an area with about 500,000 inhabitants, mostly of Druze faith — has been engulfed in fierce conflicts between local Druze militias, Bedouin…

July 24, 2025druze, Israel, Syria