Ben Noble

Do you have an idea for a general readership book relating to Eastern Europe and Eurasia? If so, let me tell you about a new series from @HurstPublishers, for which I’m the founding series editor. 🧵 1/? hurstpublishers.com/category/serie…

Academics from @KingsCollegeLon & @ucl opened the first panel at #LDC2025 with a timely discussion on how today’s key political figures like Putin, Xi, Trump, Zelensky & Starmer are reshaping global alliances. @maria_varaki @Bkerrychina @tim_wilsey @CharlieLaderman @BenHNoble

Trip up north to see Mum and Dad, walk a bit in moorland, get sunburned, and see some old snaps.

Russian copycats of McDonald's and Starbucks are preparing to defend their turf. Excellent article by @ElThorn22 for @BloombergUK on how Russian copycat brands are faring, with comment from me. @UCLSSEES bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Russia’s Latest Wave of Repression – my interview with Nikolai Petrov @CHRussiaEurasia kyivpost.com/post/54141

❓ Why the Kremlin is still afraid of elections? Ahead of the 2026 @State_Duma elections, Russian authorities are changing the boundaries of single-mandate constituencies. It seems that after 25 years of undermining the electoral process, the #Kremlin should not be concerned…

Big update for The Beet: We now have our own landing page on @meduza_en! 🎉Pay it a visit if you’re looking to subscribe to the newsletter or want to read any of our top reporting from the last year-ish. meduza.io/en/specials/th…

For a bit of context for this law-making practice in Russia, see this short piece by me on "vagonchiki": shorturl.at/01iO3

As US-Russia ties warm under #Trump, business elites in both countries have been exploring the possibility of an easing of sanctions. Political scientists @BenHNoble and Nikolai Petrov discuss the likelihood of foreign business returning to #Russia. russiapost.info/politics/busin…

Russia continues to spend faster than ever. total spending between January and April was 20% up from the equivalent period last year– far beyond the planned level of growth for the year. The pace of spending, however, is even more indicative than the raw figures. 1/3

To this, I would humbly add “startling metaphors,” “humour,” and “shrewd insight.” Very grateful for the kind words on Zero Sum in today’s @TheTLS. @BenHNoble @MikeDwyerMike

Just found a classic Yeltsin-related anecdote, as told by John Major at an event in Texas in 2001. (georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/…)

‘[A] timely book … on Estonia’s transformation into a thriving tech hub.’ Read the review of @billyjoelburke’s Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution in the @FT👇ft.com/content/562865…

OUT NOW 🎉 How did a small post-Soviet state become a digital and e-government powerhouse? Rebooting a Nation by @billyjoelburke is the informative and entertaining masterclass in Estonia’s modern history. ‘[A] timely book … on Estonia’s transformation into a thriving tech…

‘Zero Sum offers [a] lesson about the foreign companies that kept doing business in an increasingly authoritarian Russia.’ @Charles_Hecker’s new book mentioned in the @FT @pilitaclark📚👇 ft.com/content/268a8d…

The updated edition of Economic War by @zakavkaza is out now in paperback📚! ‘Hess examines how Russia’s response to the west’s economic sanctions following the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 helped to set the stage for [the current] conflict.’ — @FT, selected as a ‘book to…

Learn more about how Russia is seeking to remake South-Eastern Ukraine in its own image in @david_g_lewis' 'Occupation' ➡️ tinyurl.com/wazvs3cj