Oil markets, technologies, and policies constantly evolve at different times and places. Also, processes surrounding oil, the energy transitions and inter-fuel competition are related to the nature of the interaction between monopolies, states and the free-market and that these are not linked in...

The world is changing very quickly in the twenty-first century. Curiously, as we enter a new period of global connections—and also of de-coupling—many are looking to the past for ideas, inspiration and models that can help explain and contextualise the present and the future. Perhaps the...

The debates on China’s Belt and Road Initiative often detour around the crucial question of whether China will actually be able to translate all its plans into reality. Their success is usually assumed, with quite a few influential figures believing that as an authoritarian system, the Chinese...

The Chinese “Belt and Road Initiative” has become an unprecedented challenge in different aspects: political, economic, humanitarian. The idea of the “belt of development” seems very attractive and gives hope for inclusive development in Eurasia. However, it has not yet provided answers...

Central Asia has a long history of external influences, ranging from the historical Silk Road, to annexation by the Russian Empire and incorporation into the Soviet Union. After more than a century of strong ties with Russia in political, economic and socio-cultural terms, since 1991, Central...