Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 20 October 2015
This report is for the media and the general public. The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”, including the Addendum. Its monitoring was restricted by the parties and security considerations*. The overall situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions was relatively stable. The...
Moscow School Pulls Album to Remove Down Syndrome Girl
Parents’ objections to photo of a mentally handicapped first-grader allegedly results in photo album recall. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Germany: Saving Refugees Comes with a Huge Political Price Tag
Transatlantic TakeBERLIN—The influx of refugees into Germany is forcing its leaders to throw aside some of their long-held convictions and face reality. They are making nice with authoritarian Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to get him to accept more refugees. They are talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin so that he does not further...
US Slams Assad’s Moscow Visit
On first foreign trip since 2011, Syrian President thanks Russia for fighting ‘terrorism.’ …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Russian Nuclear Campaigner Requests French Asylum
Case highlights restrictions imposed on residents in Russia’s closed cities. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Russia’s intervention in Syria: Protracting an already endless conflict
Russia’s intervention in Syria has introduced a dangerous new dynamic into an already volatile and complex conflict. Rather than advancing its self-proclaimed objective of fighting terrorism, many more Russian strikes have targeted moderate rebels — “vetted” and supported by the United States — as well as other...
The EU needs a message people can get behind
A new political message is urgently needed for the EU, and it must be more political and less technocratic than before. Fiscal compacts and banking unions are much needed, but are insufficient to explain the EU’s raison d’etre to the general public. New opportunities such as the Internet of Things could affect the economies of member...
The Razumkov Centre Newsletter №24
This issue contains articles and interviews of the Razumkov Centre’s experts, dealing with most topical issues in Ukraine’s current affairs. In particular – domestic politics, security sector, the situation in the Ukrainian economy and energy sector. Read the Razumkov Centre Newsletter №24 …read more Source: Razumkov...
Israeli Analyst Calls on Ukraine to Facilitate Peaceful Transition in the North Caucasus
Israeli analyst Avraam Shmulevich has urged Ukrainian authorities to take a more pro-active approach to the situation in Russia. Shmulevich visited Ukraine to consult the newly created inter-party parliamentary group “Za Vilniy Kavkaz” (For a Free Caucasus). In an interview with a Ukrainian news agency, Shmulevich said Ukraine should pay...
New Russian Book Says Only Ideological Approach Can Defeat Islamic State
A new 226-page book written by a group of scholars widely reputed to be close to the Russian security services argues that Islamic State (IS) is, first and foremost, an ideological phenomenon. As such, this militant group can only be contained and then defeated on the territory of the Russian Federation by the articulation and mobilization of a...
