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From War Zone to Conflict Region

Some of the people who were forced to leave Ukraine after the Russian invasion have fled to Transnistria. Why are Ukrainians seeking sanctuary in a de facto state that receives financial and military support from Russia, and what is their status there?

Centre for East European and International Studies | 31 Jan 2024

Analysis Kosovo

Banning The Dinar, Kosovo Tries To Sever Lifeline

It’s a tough sell. Tens of thousands of ethnic Serbs who live and work in Kosovo but stubbornly reject the country’s official currency have a week to ditch the dinar in their daily lives.

Radio Free Europe | 24 Jan 2024

Analysis Transnistria

Has Transnistria Entered Its Last Year With Russia’s Gas Subsidy?

A large share of Transnistria’s economy, including most of its budget, depends on a structural subsidy it receives from Russia in the form of free gas. As Ukraine has promised to stop all Russian pipelines going through its territory by the end of 2024, how will Transnistria cope?

BalcaniCaucaso | 18 Jan 2024

News Taiwan

China Bombards Taiwan With Fake News Ahead of Election

China uses fabricated polls and outlandish claims on social media to bolster its camp in Taiwan’s election.

Politico | 10 Jan 2024

Feature Chagos Archipelago

The Chagossians Want Their Home Back

In the Sixties the British government expelled them from their island. Exiled to the UK, they’ve never given up hope of returning to their island. ‘As more and more of our elders are dying, it is important to preserve our culture.’

New Statesman | 6 Jan 2024

Analysis Nagorno-Karabakh

The Life and Death of an Unrecognized State

For years to come, its violent dissolution will loom large in the Armenian consciousness and reverberate across other majority-minority conflicts around the globe.

Eurasianet | 2 Jan 2024

News Jammu & Kashmir

India’s supreme court upholds decision to strip Kashmir of special status

Chief justice says government did not overreach its powers when it revoked autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

The Guardian | 11 Dec 2023

News Taiwan

Chinese weather balloon spotted near Taiwan

Chinese military aircraft including 12 fighter jets also detected in Taiwan’s air defence zone in past 24 hours.

The Guardian | 8 Dec 2023

News Essequibo

Venezuelans back claim to Guyana-controlled oil region

Venezuelans who turned out to vote in a referendum on the status of a disputed oil-rich territory long controlled by Guyana have overwhelmingly backed Venezuela’s territorial claim.

BBC | 4 Dec 2023

Feature Nagorno-Karabakh

What’s Left When a Long War Suddenly Ends

While the conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh concluded with an Azerbaijani victory, resentments simmer on both sides, creating fertile ground for new violence.

New York Times | 17 Nov 2023

News Kurdistan

Dutch Filmmaker Reber Dosky Arrested in Turkey

Reber Dosky, who makes documentaries about Kurdistan and was our guest at De Facto Live #6, has been jailed for three days in Turkey. Dosky was there for a new project and got arrested because of suspected ‘terrorist activities’. (article in Dutch)

Villamedia | 13 Nov 2023

Analysis Catalonia

Carles Puigdemont: from self-exile to unlikely kingmaker of Spanish politics

Architect of Catalonia’s illegal referendum of 2017 has signed deal to support Spain’s socialists in return for amnesty.

The Guardian | 9 Nov 2023

Analysis Nagorno-Karabakh

The End of Nagorno-Karabakh

The third war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the long-disputed Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, ended almost as soon as it began. The next phase of the tragedy is now unfolding. How did Western inaction enable Azerbaijan and Russia? An analysis by Thomas de Waal.

Foreign Affairs | 26 Sep 2023