Maximilian Hess
@maxhess.bsky.social
Founder - Enmetena Advisory, Fellow @FPRI & @IISS_org. Eurasia, political economy, sanctions, international affairs, debt & sovereignty.
Buy my book Economic War: Ukraine & The Global Conflict Between Russia & The West:
https://linktr.ee/EconomicWar
Buy my book Economic War: Ukraine & The Global Conflict Between Russia & The West:
https://linktr.ee/EconomicWar
you'd think / hope that the WB freeze would get others to reconsider...
January 13, 2026 at 10:22 AM
you'd think / hope that the WB freeze would get others to reconsider...
Have any of the official development lenders actually given it a loan though? I have reached out directly to European Investment Bank before too give them my two cents (i.e. run away) but still the "EIB continues to advance its due diligence on the Rogun Hydropower Plant" www.eib.org/en/press/new...
EIB strengthens engagement in Central Asia with new Tashkent office and fresh commitments to sustainable infrastructure
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced a new phase of engagement in Central Asia, confirming the opening of a regional office in Tashkent in early 2026 and signing several Letters of Intent ...
www.eib.org
January 13, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Have any of the official development lenders actually given it a loan though? I have reached out directly to European Investment Bank before too give them my two cents (i.e. run away) but still the "EIB continues to advance its due diligence on the Rogun Hydropower Plant" www.eib.org/en/press/new...
Tajikistan's environmentally disastrous dam of corruption, now in its 50th year of construction, reports tens of millions of dollars in losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in 'missing' funds.
Same as it ever was!
eurasianet.org/audit-raises...
Same as it ever was!
eurasianet.org/audit-raises...
Audit raises lots of financial questions about Tajikistan’s Rogun Dam project
Review issues caution about Rogun’s future as ‘going concern.’
eurasianet.org
January 13, 2026 at 9:22 AM
Tajikistan's environmentally disastrous dam of corruption, now in its 50th year of construction, reports tens of millions of dollars in losses and hundreds of millions of dollars in 'missing' funds.
Same as it ever was!
eurasianet.org/audit-raises...
Same as it ever was!
eurasianet.org/audit-raises...
Reposted by Maximilian Hess
9/So what is Europe to do? Not this...It has to wake up and understand that an alternative international order is being put on the table. It is not based on rules but hierarchy and extraction. Tepid finger waging will lead to domination.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
EU affirms ‘principles of national sovereignty’ in cautious response to Trump Greenland threats – Europe live
European Commission spokesperson also declines to rule on whether US intervention in Venezuela was legal
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:38 PM
9/So what is Europe to do? Not this...It has to wake up and understand that an alternative international order is being put on the table. It is not based on rules but hierarchy and extraction. Tepid finger waging will lead to domination.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Reposted by Maximilian Hess
“Socotra’s unique form of statehood requires a reference point to the outside world. The labels attached to it are less important than the reality of preserving it.”
Amid reports that ≈400 (!) tourists are stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra, amid Saudi-UAE proxy fights in Yemen, time to reshare this piece I wrote about visiting the island 4 years ago and what de facto Emirati control means for the place & its inhabitants
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
The Socotri Sovereignty Soliloquy
Breaking down the borders between state, society, and sovereignty on the island where trees bleed.
inkstickmedia.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:16 AM
“Socotra’s unique form of statehood requires a reference point to the outside world. The labels attached to it are less important than the reality of preserving it.”
Allowed by the local and Emirati authorities, and yes a Yemeni visa but this is issued by STC Yemeni backed govt so others on mainland wouldn’t recognize it. I communicated via interpreter, and a Socotri who had studied English in UAE and was kind enough to spend week teaching me basics
January 6, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Allowed by the local and Emirati authorities, and yes a Yemeni visa but this is issued by STC Yemeni backed govt so others on mainland wouldn’t recognize it. I communicated via interpreter, and a Socotri who had studied English in UAE and was kind enough to spend week teaching me basics
Fewer than 80 tourists were allowed to visit the island at the time when I went, which was also over the new year
January 5, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Fewer than 80 tourists were allowed to visit the island at the time when I went, which was also over the new year
Amid reports that ≈400 (!) tourists are stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra, amid Saudi-UAE proxy fights in Yemen, time to reshare this piece I wrote about visiting the island 4 years ago and what de facto Emirati control means for the place & its inhabitants
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
The Socotri Sovereignty Soliloquy
Breaking down the borders between state, society, and sovereignty on the island where trees bleed.
inkstickmedia.com
January 5, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Amid reports that ≈400 (!) tourists are stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra, amid Saudi-UAE proxy fights in Yemen, time to reshare this piece I wrote about visiting the island 4 years ago and what de facto Emirati control means for the place & its inhabitants
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
inkstickmedia.com/the-socotri-...
He most certainly does not, he has targeted him with collateral damage, Russian drones and missiles have targeted the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers and presidential building, and then there was Odessa attack that targeted Zelensky after Rutte meeting
January 4, 2026 at 6:15 PM
He most certainly does not, he has targeted him with collateral damage, Russian drones and missiles have targeted the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers and presidential building, and then there was Odessa attack that targeted Zelensky after Rutte meeting
Im really not sure what your point is, Trump didn’t acknowledge it until after either. Putin has tried to kill Zelensky and will continue to do so regardless of whatever the US does or does not do in Venezuela or most elsewhere
January 4, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Im really not sure what your point is, Trump didn’t acknowledge it until after either. Putin has tried to kill Zelensky and will continue to do so regardless of whatever the US does or does not do in Venezuela or most elsewhere
Very much openly on the first day of the invasion, you can find plenty of articles that detail the squad sent to do it and their activities
January 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Very much openly on the first day of the invasion, you can find plenty of articles that detail the squad sent to do it and their activities
They have tried that repeatedly and failed
January 4, 2026 at 10:26 AM
They have tried that repeatedly and failed
They had nothing to trade, no ability to support Maduro whatsoever
January 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM
They had nothing to trade, no ability to support Maduro whatsoever
Russian Foreign Ministry statement is out and is extremely soft, calls for “prevention of further escalation and to focus on finding a way to advance through dialogue”.
January 3, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Russian Foreign Ministry statement is out and is extremely soft, calls for “prevention of further escalation and to focus on finding a way to advance through dialogue”.
I’m sure it was, and hardly takes a genius to know that Russian defence treaties mean zero (especially in an area it has no chance of defending). But Russia had been seeking to support maduro in recent days including over ship seizure.
January 3, 2026 at 9:41 AM
I’m sure it was, and hardly takes a genius to know that Russian defence treaties mean zero (especially in an area it has no chance of defending). But Russia had been seeking to support maduro in recent days including over ship seizure.
Russia signed a treaty to defend Venezuela just two months ago but its crickets this morning from the Kremlin. Utter humiliation and evidence of just how weak it is globally.
January 3, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Russia signed a treaty to defend Venezuela just two months ago but its crickets this morning from the Kremlin. Utter humiliation and evidence of just how weak it is globally.
Your regular reminder that any Western comopany reporting its assets in Russia as not marked down to 0 for the last 3 years has been essentially defrauding its investors
www.ft.com/content/616d...
www.ft.com/content/616d...
Putin’s retaliation threat over frozen assets rattles EU capitals
Italy, Belgium and Austria worry about Russia moving against their companies
www.ft.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Your regular reminder that any Western comopany reporting its assets in Russia as not marked down to 0 for the last 3 years has been essentially defrauding its investors
www.ft.com/content/616d...
www.ft.com/content/616d...
Ofc it will be a friend of his who takes over the assets, but if that friend is a non Russian, it’s a relative win (not ideal ofc)
December 17, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Ofc it will be a friend of his who takes over the assets, but if that friend is a non Russian, it’s a relative win (not ideal ofc)
Trump would love a deal and would love to make Putin happy but fundamentally Putin doesnt want a deal. Without it Trump feels forlorn and rejected and will revert to caring about who gets to loot ukraine, who dominates LNG markets, and the Arctic - & on all of those Putin's Russia is a sharp rival
December 17, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Trump would love a deal and would love to make Putin happy but fundamentally Putin doesnt want a deal. Without it Trump feels forlorn and rejected and will revert to caring about who gets to loot ukraine, who dominates LNG markets, and the Arctic - & on all of those Putin's Russia is a sharp rival
Trump is unqualified for office and clearly loves Putin, i think that Putin is what he seems himself as when he looks in the mirror. but yes, the rosneft and lukoil sanctions are a major step (they have not been rolled back, just deadlines delayed for asset sales, which had happened under Biden too)
December 17, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Trump is unqualified for office and clearly loves Putin, i think that Putin is what he seems himself as when he looks in the mirror. but yes, the rosneft and lukoil sanctions are a major step (they have not been rolled back, just deadlines delayed for asset sales, which had happened under Biden too)
Given Putin is obviously going to reject the peace deal (but try and blame it on Kyiv and Europe), more sanctions should be the base case even from the Trump Admin - as I have long argued - rather than the shock so many treated it as in October and will again soon www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Readies New Russia Sanctions If Putin Rejects Peace Deal
The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to people f...
www.bloomberg.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Given Putin is obviously going to reject the peace deal (but try and blame it on Kyiv and Europe), more sanctions should be the base case even from the Trump Admin - as I have long argued - rather than the shock so many treated it as in October and will again soon www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The most British way of fighting the British
December 16, 2025 at 12:58 AM
The most British way of fighting the British