THE WORLD AFTER DAVOS: POWER, FRAGMENTATION AND THE RETURN OF STRATEGIC COMPETITION

The Davos Forum has gradually evolved from an economic dialogue platform into an ideological laboratory where the future architecture of global power, security, and governance is openly negotiated. In the emerging post-liberal order, Davos debates increasingly reflect not optimism about integration, but anxiety about fragmentation, systemic rivalry, and the erosion of long-standing norms. What now…

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Presidential diplomacy at Davos and its geopolitical and economic impact

Presidential-level meetings held within the framework of the World Economic Forum have a significant influence on the way contemporary international relations take shape. The Davos platform offers heads of state a distinctive setting for advancing multilateral diplomacy, strengthening strategic partnerships, and promoting national economic interests on a global stage. Davos meetings offer several notable advantages…

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Kadyrov’s Declining Health Spurs Succession Speculation

Executive Summary: Rumors have circulated throughout January that the strongman leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is suffering from kidney failure, sparking speculation about his successor and the durability of personalized regional governance in Russia amid leadership transition. Kadyrov has attempted to institutionalize a quasi-hereditary system by promoting family members into senior political and security roles….

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Rusif HUSEYNOV: “Direct Armenian–Azerbaijan Engagement Is a Genuine Breakthrough”

20.01.2026 (Caucasian Journal) Today, the Caucasian Journal welcomes Dr. Rusif HUSEYNOV, a distinguished Azerbaijani political analyst and the co-founder and CEO of the Baku-based think tank, the Topchubashov Center. He has first-hand knowledge of key developments not only in Baku but across all regional directions.  A widely cited expert, Dr. Huseynov offers an essential regional perspective on the evolving dialogue around…

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Serbian energy crisis amid US sanctions, Russia’s ouster, and Hungarian rescue

On 9 October 2025, US Department of the Treasury (OFAC) has imposed secondary sanctions which target Russian oil and gas sectors and extend their pressure on NIS (Naftna Industrija Srbije), the main Serbian energy company, because of the majority share owned by the Russian Gazprom Neft (44.85 per cent) and JSC Intelligence (11.3 per cent)….

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Transition to an Innovation Ecosystem: Azerbaijan’s Strategic Choice

The idea of transforming oil capital into human capital, articulated years ago, is today presented with broader and deeper substance aligned with global challenges. The key point emphasized by President Ilham Aliyev is that natural resources are not an end in themselves, but a means, and that the main guarantors of sustainable development are science,…

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TRIPP and the Armenia–U.S. strategic partnership

The recent meeting in Washington between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, coupled with the official announcement of the implementation framework for the TRIPP initiative, signals the entry of the South Caucasus peace process into a qualitatively new phase. While previous stages were largely dominated by political declarations and…

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US-Azerbaijan relations in the context of new geopolitical realities

In recent years, transformations in global and regional politics have elevated US-Azerbaijan relations to a qualitatively new level. In particular, the conclusion of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in 2020 with Azerbaijan’s victory, followed by intensified competition among global powers, has generated new geopolitical realities in the South Caucasus. Against this complex global and regional backdrop, Azerbaijan…

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