Russia

Cumali Onal

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), mentioned frequently by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as an alternative to the European Union, is not a rational alternative for Turkey economically, militarily or on human rights issues; even Russia, which began as one of the main pillars of this group -- along with China -- is beginning to distance itself from the SCO, experts say.

By Dmitry Shlapentokh 

Kazakhstan is a member of the Russian-sponsored Custom Union, and intends to join the Eurasian Union. Yet, Kazakhstan’s foreign policy indicates that it regards Russia as just one among several partners, with which it cooperates in some areas but also competes against in others.

 Salman Wattoo
In today’s world, geopolitics takes precedence over ideologies. The US-Iran nuclear deal reached last year is a very recent example of how two countries with ideologies on different ends of the spectrum can come together to achieve their political objectives.