Thus Votes South Ossetia: A Referendum the Kremlin Would Prefer to Ignore
Russia / Europe Anatoly Bibilov has become the new de-facto president of South Ossetia — a Russia-backed separatist enclave in the Caucasus that most national governments still recognise as a region of Georgia. Speaking to the BBC before his inauguration, Bibilov declared himself “one hundred percent sure” that South Ossetia will become part of...
The Fight Against Corruption in Europe’s Emerging Economies
In some countries, when their leaders have egregiously over-stepped their authority to shield themselves from accountability, citizens have taken to the streets with some success. Corruption and impunity ignite public protest. Anger against corruption sparked the Arab Spring, it also forced Ukraine’s former president Victor Yanukovych to...
Globalisation Needs to Work, Not Only for the Few but for the Most and in Demonstrable Ways
Building a green economy is a new trend, now, for every country. But still, many countries are concerned about environmental limitations that can slow down the economic growth. The emerging Europe countries are now entering a period of slower growth. Despite the fact that the income gap with Western Europe countries has become narrower, not...
Cheap at Half the Price: Why UN Peacekeeping is Good Value for Money
US President Donald Trump is threatening to cut his country’s contribution to the UN peacekeeping budget. But this could end up being the more expensive option in the long run. Download the article (PDF)In 2016, the US provided over 28% of the UN peacekeeping budget – more than double the amount provided by any other country. Yet in his...
The internet is enabling scientists to understand how ‘collective memory’ works
Our memory of the twin towers attack has been strengthened by events that happened much later. Michael Foran/Flickr, CC BY-SAThe internet has brought change to almost everything in our lives. In particular, the ways we acquire knowledge have significantly changed, partly due to online knowledge repositories such as Wikipedia. In fact, it has even...
Russian Girlfriend Handed Ukrainian Political Prisoner to FSB Torturers
Why would Russia hold a Ukrainian in secret detention for 10 months if there were real grounds for his arrest? Why is it now refusing to allow an independent psychiatric examination which a renowned British psychiatric institute has recognized the need for and even offered to provide? …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
Turkey’s Erdogan Plays Dictator in Constitutional Fight: Divides Nation as Popularity
Doug Bandow Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured near dictatorial powers in the recent constitutional referendum. Yet all is not well for the would-be sultan. He predicted that he’d win 60 percent or more of the vote, but barely broke 51 percent after rigging the ballot, destroying a free press, and criminalizing criticism....
Danish companies Support and Assist Ukraine’s Economic Transition
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko felt quite content, during his visit to Copenhagen in early April 2017, when he heard leading Danish companies that already work, or plan to invest, in Ukraine say that they had already noticed practical results of the reforms. “This is a very good advertisement for potential investors to come and work with...
New “Borders” in Eastern Europe
The principle of border inviolability within Europe was put into question in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea and the breakout of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. These events created two new “borders” in Eastern Europe: one de-facto national border in the case of Crimea and a frozen frontline in the case of the occupied territories in...
Kyiv Opens Probe of OSCE Monitor’s Death
Moscow, Washington call for investigations into landmine explosion in area controlled by Luhansk separatists. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
