Despite significant investment, China's attempts to cultivate influence in Central and Eastern Europe have faltered in recent years.

Ukraine’s Westward drift since independence has been countered by the sometimes violent tug of Russia, felt most recently with Putin’s 2022 invasion.

The resurgence of the M23 rebel group in Eastern Congo increases suffering for civilians and heightens international tensions.    

Turkey’s geography and membership in NATO have long given the country an influential voice in foreign policy, but the assertive policies of President Erdogan have complicated its role.

China's Digital Silk Road is running into roadblocks in Europe.

The East African Community (EAC) wasted no time in wading into the complex and murky security issues bedeviling its newest member, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC, which is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), joined the East African block just weeks ago. Already, the EAC has issued a statement endorsing a largely undefined political process to address insecurity in the DRC and sketching out a plan to deploy a regional joint force to confront recalcitrant actors in Congo’s volatile eastern provinces.