Categories Selected Articles Melania Trump on her return to the White House: ‘Standing on my own two feet’ Post author By Mike Nova Post date January 14, 2025 The once and future first lady plans her return to the White House amid questions of how much time she’ll actually spend there. ← The Downing of the Azeri Plane—A Lesson for Relations in the Post-Soviet Space → The Downing of the Azeri Plane—A Lesson for Relations in the Post-Soviet Space https://t.co/n31T0XegiT Tuesday January 14th, 2025 at 10:46 AM INSS Insight No. 1932, January 14, 2025 The circumstances of the downing of a plane belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines and the official responses by Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan highlight the complex and dynamic nature of Russia’s relations with its neighboring countries in the post-Soviet era. While Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and other countries in Central Asia would like to reduce their dependence on Russia, Moscow’s current economic weakness—a result of the international sanctions imposed on it—has made it increasingly reliant on these count