Category: Rule of Law

Russia’s Georgia strategy offers hints of Kremlin vision for Ukraine

Recent efforts by the Georgian government to adopt a Kremlin-style law imposing restrictions on civil society have laid bare the geopolitical struggle currently underway to define the country’s future. The escalating crisis in the southern Caucasus nation also offers some indications of the end game Russia may have in mind if it succeeds in defeating

Putin cannot be allowed to use chemical weapons in Ukraine with impunity

After years of Ukrainians sounding the alarm over Russia’s alleged use of chemical weapons, the US Department of State has now substantiated these claims and has announced new sanctions on Russian actors for their role in enabling the country’s chemical and biological weapons programs. In an official statement, the United States charged Russia with using

Ukraine’s partners should link wartime aid to continued reform progress

As Ukrainians fight for national survival against Russia’s ongoing invasion, the country is continuing to implement important domestic reforms. These reforms play a crucial role in strengthening Ukraine’s wartime resilience, and also set the stage for a successful postwar recovery. The international community has a clear interest in helping Ukraine achieve further reform progress. Since

Making Russia pay for the invasion of Ukraine

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, the costs of the conflict continue to rise. The war unleashed by Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and forced more than ten million Ukrainians to flee their homes. Dozens of towns and cities have been reduced

Putin’s unpunished Crimean crime set the stage for Russia’s 2022 invasion

On February 24, the world will reflect on the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While attention is understandably focused on the current phase of Russia’s war, this week also marked ten years since the Kremlin first began its attack on Ukraine with the military takeover of Crimea. One decade on, it should

Wartime Ukraine ranks among world’s top performers in anti-corruption index

Ukraine recorded solid progress last year in its long struggle with corruption, according to the latest edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Wartime Ukraine climbed twelve places in the 2023 edition of the annual survey to rank 104th among 180 featured countries, increasing its anti-corruption score from 33 to 36 out of 100. “Ukraine’s

Experts react: What the International Court of Justice said (and didn’t say) in the genocide case against Israel

On Friday the world’s eyes were on The Hague, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its ruling on provisional measures in the case South Africa brought against Israel for violations of the Genocide Convention. The court granted some of the orders South Africa requested against Israel, but most notably declined to order Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza. Instead, the