Russia

Economic Statecraft: A Tale of Two Outcomes

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and the Group of 7 (hereinafter: the EU and the G7) imposed targeted sanctions, sanctions against Russian financial institutions, and asset freezes. In 2015, the United States of America (hereinafter: the USA) imposed targeted sanctions on Venezuelan individuals and institutions, oil sanctions and asset...

A Push for Peace or Political Divergence? Orbán Challenges EU’s Ukraine Policy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent critique of the European Union’s (hereinafter: the EU) approach to the Ukraine conflict has reignited debates about unity and strategy within the bloc. By proposing a ‘Christmas truce’ and a large-scale prisoner exchange, Orbán departs from the EU’s hardline stance, championing diplomacy over military escalation. This divergence underscores the...

Russia’s Options Before the War in Ukraine

“War is nothing but the continuation of policy with other means”. This famous quote by General Clausewitz is one of the most important quotes in the history of political and military science. He accurately defines war as a tool of policymaking and, therefore, as a contextually embedded form of coordinated behaviour at the societal level....

2024: Events & Trends to Watch

With also the last days of 2023 behind us, another chapter in the history books is now complete, and another chapter begins. To start this new year, a look at the geopolitical calendar will reveal that we can expect many significant developments in 2024. In this article, the main events and expected trends will be...

Limits of Political Calculation

In many contexts, we tend to believe that politics is highly elitist and controlled to the fullest by powerful interest groups. Regardless of the nature of those interest groups – may they be religious, economic or ethnic –, there is certainly a considerable truth to the claim that they exert power behind the political curtains....

What Can Ukraine Do?

One of the core characteristics of Essydo Magazine is that topics are viewed from all the different perspectives possible in an unbiased way. Since no underlying agenda is pursued or any interest groups influence this magazine, the analyses represent the highest technical standard of political analysis – at least this is our goal. Leaning on...