U.S. will send Taiwan $619 million in arms amid PLA pressure;
China building scores of coal power plants;
China launches satellites to compete with Starlink;
Local debt rings alarms;
Younger Chinese struggle to find employment
Solovyov advocates soviet tactics against Ukraine;
More men for Putin's war machine;
Russia prepares for Crimean counteroffensive;
Wagner's recruitment drive;
Russia's collapsing arms industry
“The global struggle for democracy approached a possible turning point in 2022,” Freedom House writes in its latest annual report on political rights and civil liberties around the world. “There were signs … that the world’s long freedom recession may be bottoming out, which would set the stage for a future recovery.”
Nigeria's election ignites further divide and doubt;
France rethinks Africa;
Uganda seeks nuclear status;
Mali's referendum delayed once more;
DRC violence prompts an exodus
Prigozhin's paramilitary outfit grooms a younger generation;
The key role of Russia's young, western-trained elites;
Wagner threatens to jeopardize Russia's war effort;
The high price of Bakhmut;
How Russians view protest and emigration