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Russia’s Great-Power Moment in Africa

Image courtesy of REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen arrive at Russian Embassy for tree planting ceremony during Lavrov’s visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 27, 2022.

Not even a decade ago, Africa was the last foreign policy priority of Russia. Now, in the face of growing isolation, Russia is once again bidding for the continent’s support. The West looks at such efforts with concern, which could lead to a growing great-power competition and securitization on the continent.

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Kazakhstan on the Belt, on the Road

This week’s featured graphic illustrates Kazakhstan’s central role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative as of September 2019. For more on the country and its geo-strategic position, read Benno Zogg’s CSS Analysis in Security Policy here.

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GDP and Perceptions of Corruption in Eastern Europe

This week’s featured graphic shows the GDP as well as perceptions of corruption in Eastern Europe. For more on the latest economic and political developments of the Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, read Henrik Larsen’s CSS Analysis in Security Policy here.

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Budget Support to Agriculture in Russia Compared to Other Countries

While support for innovations and the provision of digital technologies for agriculture are declared as being among the Russian government’s policy priorities, those activities are not prioritized in budgeting. This graphic compares the budget support to agriculture in Russia with that of other countries.

For more on the structure of agricultural production, trade development and agri-food policy in Russia, read this issue of the Russian Analytical Digest.

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Top 5 Trading Partners of Algeria and Egypt

This week’s featured graphic provides an overview of Algeria and Egypt’s top trading partners. Russia’s absence from the top five trading partners list of either country highlights that despite Moscow’s revival of its ties with Cairo and Algiers, it remains overshadowed by other actors in the economic sphere.

To find out more about Russia’s strategy in the Middle East and North Africa, read Lisa Watanabe’s chapter for Strategic Trends 2019 here.