Russian Media’s Homage to Catalonia
Russia / Europe The referendum in Catalonia and the harsh actions of police against the protestors have put the Kremlin in an awkward position. On the one hand, this is an excellent occasion to once again accuse the West of all the usual deadly sins, to herald the decline of European democracy, and to show TV audiences in Russia that their own...
Poignant proof of why letters to the Kremlin’s Ukrainian hostages matter
There are over forty Crimean political prisoners in Russian-occupied Crimea or Russia, and that figure is rising. Access to information and contact with them is limited, with Russia clearly hoping that people will forget about them. A letter just received from Yevhen Panov makes it quite clear how much our letters mean to the imprisoned men...
Divide and conquer
Ten years ago, the idea that Russia had the will or ability to interfere in other countries’ affairs was widely dismissed as paranoid scaremongering. Not any more. Events in the United States, France, Ukraine and elsewhere have highlighted the Kremlin’s ability—real or perceived—to project power beyond its borders. …read more...
Prospects for a UN Peacekeeping Mission to Donbas
During the September United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Russia and Ukraine each presented proposals for the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Donbas. However, the differences between the two countries reduce the probability of reaching agreement on that issue. From Ukraine’s perspective, the mission should be deployed in all...
Poroshenko must veto law that will terminate most investigations into Maidan crimes & corruption
If Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signs a law just passed by the Verkhovna Rada, the Special Investigations Department will be forced to terminate all investigations into unsolved crimes committed during Euromaidan, however serious. The adopted amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code [CPC] would have similar consequences for corruption and...
The Fait Accompli in the 21st Century Security Landscape: From Crimea to Doklam to the Spratly Islands
RSVP HERE From Ukraine to the South China Sea, the fait accompli reappears time and again as the strategy of choice to challenge the status quo, imposing losses in a calculated gamble that victims will relent rather than escalate. The Stimson Center is pleased to host Dan Altman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Georgia State...
Why Russia Still Has Conscription
Security This year’s autumn round of conscription to the Russian army is now underway. As of October 1st, Russia’s military is hoping to find and recruit 110-120 thousand fresh troops. For many young people, military conscription is no longer a scary prospect: they have been admitted to universities and can live without thinking about...
Ukrainian Church Communities: The Role of the Greek Catholic Church in Society, Politics and Conflict
Invitation Only Research Event 26 Oct 2017 – 10:00 to 11:30Add to CalendariCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Patriarch, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church …read more Source: Chatham...
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...
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, October I 2017
Written by Katarzyna Sochacka, EU negotiator Michel Barnier presents the state of play of the Brexit negotiations in plenary. © European Union 2017 – Source : EP The adoption of Parliament’s resolution on the state of play of the Brexit negotiations was one of the main points of the October I plenary session, as was a debate on the...
