The Revised European Neighbourhood Policy: Continuity and Change in EU Foreign Policy, Dimitris Bouris and Tobias Schumacher (eds.) (College of Europe, Natolin)
Dimitris Bouris and Tobias Schumacher (eds.), The Revised European Neighbourhood Policy. Continuity and Change in EU Foreign Policy, London, Palgrave Macmillan, 306p, 2017 This book analyses the revised European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which entered into force in May 2011, thereby replacing its predecessor of 2003/2004. The edited volume...
Russia sentences Ukrainian journalist Mykola Semena for expressing the UN’s stand on Crimea
A court in Russian-occupied Crimea has passed a two and a half year suspended sentence on Ukrainian journalist Mykola Semena for expressing his opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea. It was thus found that an opinion piece written by Semena contained ‘public calls to action aimed at violating Russia’s territorial...
Prisoners of war captured defending Ukraine abandoned & in danger of fake ’trials’
There is an urgent need for Ukraine to formally recognize the soldiers who were taken prisoner by Russian or Russian-backed fighters as prisoners of war, yet Ukraine’s parliament is procrastinating on this, and on other measures to coordinate efforts to bring the men back home …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Kleptocracy Daily: September 21, 2017
Manafort: Trump’s former campaign manager reportedly offered “private briefings” to oligarch Oleg Deripaska during the campaign. Despite being under investigation,Manafort is still lobbying for foreign interests. (WaPo, NYT) Enablers: “Spray luminol across London’s major PR houses, and you’ll see similar blood spatters,”...
The Importance of the Zapad 2017 Exercises
The Zapad 2017 Russian military exercises were just one element of an extensive plan to checking its armed forces’ combat readiness. At the same time, the exercises were used to test the experience gained by the Russian army in combat operations in Ukraine and Syria, and to practise full-scale conventional conflict. The manoeuvres proved...
Russia’s Foreign Policy of Disruption
By Jacob L. Shapiro The Trump administration came to office hoping it would be able to find a more cooperative basis upon which to work with Russia than previous U.S. administrations had. Of course, the Bush administration and the Obama administration tried to reset U.S.-Russia relations as well, to no avail. Less than a year into Donald...
Russia’s Interference in Germany Will Continue beyond the September 24 Elections
On September 24, Germany holds a nationwide election. If the polls and experts are accurate, it should be a humdrum affair. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will receive the majority of the votes, sending her to a fourth term without breaking much of a sweat. However, all elections, even predictable ones, have...
Ukraine must create an independent anti-corruption court
Transparency International calls on the Ukrainian authorities to create an independent anti-corruption court as part of Ukraine’s legal obligations and its commitments to the EU and the International Monetary Fund. Only this will strengthen the country’s efforts to fight corruption. Ukraine’s President Poroshenko has stated that...
The Last Hurdle for Ukraine’s Recovery
…read more Source: Project Syndicate (Czech...
Q&A with New OSCE Rep on Freedom of the Media
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on Freedom of the Media plays a vital role that is valued by journalists and media freedom groups for its ability to speak out in defense of press freedom. At a time when press freedom is deteriorating in many OSCE states — including Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip...
