http://valdaiclub.com Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300 60 https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-makkah-agreement-a-new-experiment-in-regional-/ The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed on August 7, 2026 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, should not be viewed merely as another military arrangement in an already fragmented Middle Eastern security environment. Its significance lies less in the immediate military capabilities of the three signatories than in the model of regional security that it potentially represents. Analytics / Opinion Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300 https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/uzbekistan-and-the-new-logic-of-regional-agency/ As intense great power rivalry sweeps the international system, middle powers increasingly tend to find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Ulugbek Khasanov explores how Uzbekistan maintains equilibrium in its foreign policy and strikes a balance between external powers seeking influence in Central Asia. Analytics / Opinion Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300 https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/say-it-right-toponymical-prescriptivism-and-identity/ The existence of different names for the same geographical features across languages and cultures is a natural phenomenon, shaped by historical, social, and linguistic factors. Yet under certain circumstances, toponymical issues transcend linguistics, becoming a potent—and often explosive—element of domestic and foreign policy. Analytics / Opinion Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300 https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/stability-and-security-threats-in-the-south-caucasus/ The South Caucasus has entered a phase of de facto peace, but not yet one of settled security. The Armenia-Azerbaijan breakthrough and new connectivity plans offer a historic opportunity, while incomplete legal normalisation, unresolved border and humanitarian questions, corridor rivalries, Georgia's enduring conflicts, and spillover from surrounding wars keep the regional order fragile. Pakistan’s strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, newly established relations with Armenia, and growing engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union have given Islamabad a genuine stake in the outcome. Analytics / Opinion Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300 https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/world-yen-dollar/ The world has been finding out the truth about the dollar system as increasingly rancorous opposition to Trump has been washing very dirty political laundry in public. Analytics / Opinion Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0300