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The strategic shift made by Vladimir Putin to focus Russia’s efforts on conquering territory in the south and east of Ukraine has been accompanied by a ramping up of rhetoric, and economic and diplomatic offensives aimed at countries opposing his war.
One of the most striking came this week, as Russia cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. There is clearly an attempt to flex power over these states that have long been well aware of the Kremlin’s reach. But the move has also come after much debate in numerous European countries, notably Germany, about how they might wean themselves off Russian fossil fuels. Alexander Mihailov, Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Reading in England, argues that such a move will actually be to the benefit of Europe in the long term. The big loser in all this? Russia.
The war is also posing huge problems for the future of cooperation in space. And that’s the subject of the new edition of The Conversation Weekly, which will go live later today – keep an eye out for it wherever you get your podcasts, and on our podcast page. Meanwhile, remember you can stay across the network’s latest coverage of the invasion via this page.
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Russian money for Russian gas?
Vyacheslav Lopatin/Alamy Stock Photo
Alexander Mihailov, University of Reading
Democratic nations are adept at evolving to deal with economic shocks.
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Tatsiana Kulakevich, University of South Florida
Military tensions and political concern are heating up in Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova that borders Ukraine. An Eastern European expert answers four key questions about this region.
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The Elon ranger.
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Eric Heinze, Queen Mary University of London
We may be besieged by private companies in online spaces, but only up to a point.
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Atlanta Braves fans perform the ‘tomahawk chop’ during a playoff game in 2004.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Peter Dreier, Occidental College
The insistence on preserving the team name – along with fan traditions like the ‘tomahawk chop’ – is even more glaring given the city’s links to the civil rights movement.
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Alison McAfee, University of British Columbia
Beekeepers in British Columbia reported honeybee deaths during the 2021 heat dome. Other insects may also be at risk.
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Karen Shapiro, University of California, Davis; Emma Zhang, University of California, Davis
Normally land-bound pathogens that cause deadly diseases for both humans and animals can cling to microplastics and end up in your seafood.
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Garhe Osiebe, Rhodes University; Austin Emielu, Rhodes University
The man who taught Fela Kuti a thing or two has been all but erased from formal music history. He deserves much better treatment in death.
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Joachim Seel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The largest category of power plants applying to connect to the US grid are now solar, and over a third of those are hybrids that include battery storage.
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Madhav Joshi, University of Notre Dame
South Sudan wants to create a professional army from rival forces in under 12 months. It’s a lofty timeline that faces many challenges.
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Jacqueline Newling, University of Sydney; Alison Vincent, CQUniversity Australia
A chance encounter in the National Library of Australia’s digital archive holds clues about an 1843 cookbook published in Parramatta.
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