This intentionally-named blog is a space where I explore international politics, economy and security issues, with dashes of culture and historical context. The regional focus of the entries will actually be an amalgamation of regions including but not limited to: the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union, its borders and its sphere of influence. This will generally cover central Asia, eastern, central and southeastern Europe. I will also occasionally cover parts of the middle east, north Africa, eastern Asia and, of course, Russia itself. These areas and the countries within them fascinate me due to their inherently connective yet contentious nature. These regions all in some way connect cultures and ideologies that at their further reaches can be incredibly juxtaposed, but which meld along these boundaries, often causing conflict within and between borders. The conflicts of these states’ politics, the performance of their economies and their rates of human development differ greatly, and, like all states, have their own histories and particular circumstances from which their present state of affairs came to exist. I want to focus on these states because of their vast complexities, but also their common feature: these regions act as portals through which ideologies flow and exchange, but too often become blockades by which communities build up their battlements of ignorance, regression, self-perceived protection but other-perceived aggression. These areas have been killing fields on which cultures, philosophies and ideologies war. I hope to improve my knowledge of these places and their politics in a way that provokes, inspires and ultimately challenges the way that I and my readers perceives global affairs, hopefully transforming our perceptions into more insightful, dynamic world views.

Connect with me at tracyllyon@gmail.com.