WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on May 22, 2026, by non-resident senior fellow Alexander Kolyandr: * * * The British and US Sanctions That Quietly Aren't US and UK sanctions relief aimed at easing domestic consumer pressures also transfer billions into Putin's war chest, at Ukraine's expense. * On May 19, the United Kingdom did two things at once. It legislated, for the first time in binding form, a ban on imports of refined petr  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on May 22, 2026, by Fabian Hoffmann, senior research fellow at the Ukraine and Full Spectrum Threats Program at the Norwegian Defense University College: * * * European Cruise Missiles? On the Way After years of neglect and small-scale production, Europe-based producers are finally accelerating new products to rearm and reduce dependency on the US. * Europe has long been constrained by a lack of po  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on May 22, 2026, by Emil Avdaliani, research fellow at the Turan Research Center and a professor of international relations at the European University in Tbilisi, Georgia: * * * Russian Influence Drains Away in the South Caucasus Armenia is building closer relations with the EU, underlining Russia's diminishing influence in the South Caucasus. * For decades, Moscow's power in the South Caucasus res  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on May 21, 2026, by senior fellow Luke Coffey to Kyiv Independent: * * * Is Belarus About to Enter the Russian War? With much of the focus on Ukraine being placed on the stagnant state of U.S.-led peace talks and recent successful Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia's oil refineries, Western policymakers should not overlo  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on May 21, 2026, by Paul Goble, specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * New Law Gives Kremlin Expanded Power to Use Force to Defend Russians Abroad Executive Summary: * The Russian Duma passed a law giving the Kremlin the right to deploy military force abroad to "defend the rights of citizens of Russia" if they are arrested or charged, including by   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on May 21, 2026, by analyst Aybaniz Ismayilova in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Turkiye Promotes Eurasian Transit Development Executive Summary: * Turkiye and Armenia signed an agreement on May 4 to restore the Ani Bridge, another step in their normalization process. This development is part of moves to expand regional connectivity projects amid transport disruptions caused by the Iran conflict. *  more

NEW YORK, May 24 -- Columbia University Columbia Journalism School issued the following news: * * * Keith Gessen Promoted To George T. Delacorte Associate Professor of Magazine Journalism at Columbia Journalism School Recognizing his distinguished contributions to the field, teaching and service at Columbia Journalism School. * The Trustees of Columbia University have approved Keith Gessen's promotion to George T. Delacorte Associate Professor of Magazine Journalism with tenure, effective J  more

WASHINGTON, May 25 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Air Force Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, from a May 14, 2026, hearing on the fiscal 2027 budget request: * * * Chairman, Ranking Member, and members of the Committee, United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) is guided by the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) to protect the homeland, advance U.S. interests, and respond to crises across Africa. We work with our Afric  more