NATO’s Relevance and Europe’s Search for an Alternative
The North Treaty Organization (NATO) came into being to guarantee security to the war-torn Europe after the most devastated war in human history called “World War II.” It was precisely meant for containing “Communist” threat from the former Soviet Union. The “Warsaw Pact” was the response to NATO during the height of cold war by the Soviet...
Kleptocracy Weekly: October 6, 2017
“Kleptocracy is the business model of 21st century authoritarianism.” Charles Davidson, KI’s Executive Director,testified before the Helsinki Commission in Congress this week on how anonymous companies threaten democracy and security. Next week: Join KI and distinguished experts at Hudson Institute on October 11th for the launch of Ilya...
The Russian State’s New Surprising Crusade … Against “Orthodox Extremists”
Society It seems that the Russian state is preparing to get tough on various hardline, fringe followers of the Orthodox Church. Columnists in the opposition media and panic-stricken citizens on social media have already dubbed these Russian citizens “Orthodox extremists” or “new fundamentalists” Alexander Kalinin, for instance, the leader of the...
Ukraine’s Poorly Timed Education Law
Endorsing bilingualism in education would be the inspired and progressive option for the Ukrainian leadership. …read more Source: Carnegie Endowment for International...
Inside Tomsk’s Political Machine
The Siberian city’s gubernatorial election, rigged and managed from above, illustrates how the electoral system really works in many Russian regions. From openDemocracy. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Wealth of Ukrainian Security Officers Revealed
The powerful interior minister is also under a spotlight as the authorities open a probe into corruption allegations against him. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
What would it take to trigger war between Russia and NATO? Just a spark
This September in Europe was a tense month of military posturing and preparations. Sweden recently began a three-week war game, its largest since the Cold War. Even as it did so, across the Baltic Sea, Russian and Belarusian forces concluded the Zapad military exercises – which NATO officials called “serious preparations for a big war”. Major war...
Finding My Creative Courage in North Korea
Just 15 months after taking his first writing workshop at Aspen Summer Words, Welby Altidor published Creative Courage, a book that draws on his experience as executive creative director at Cirque du Soleil, where he was responsible for a portfolio of groundbreaking live events. In the midst of making the final edits to his manuscript this past...
Ukraine’s unfinished reform agenda
Compared to previous attempts, especially those following the Orange Revolution in 2004, the current reform round in Ukraine (since 2014) has proved more successful. Some politically difficult decisions have been taken, such as the elimination of gas subsidies and the restructuring of the banking system. But reform remains incomplete in many...
Historian Anne Applebaum Details Stalin’s War Against Ukraine: ’I Believe It Was Genocide’
The true number of famine victims has been difficult to calculate, Anne Applebaum says, because the Soviet system tried to cover up the famine immediately after it happened. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
