Section: Research Organizations & Think Tanks about Ukraine
Belarus and the West: A Policy Change Long Overdue
Two recent public opinion polls have highlighted quite revealing results about populations living in Belarus and Ukraine. First, according to the Ukrainian polling firm Rating, the opinions of Ukrainians about Belarus are overwhelmingly positive. In the separatist areas of Donbas (the eastern Ukrainian region encompassing the Donetsk and Luhansk...
Weekend catch-up: Turnbull in DC, Taiwan and Vanuatu elections, lessons from Jakarta and more
With Malcolm Turnbull’s first visit to Washington DC as prime minister this week, commentary on his speeches and appearances has followed. Of course The Interpreter participated, first with a piece from Hugh White, who said Turnbull didn’t deliver the message America needs to hear: Whatever we might wish, escalating rivalry in Asia...
Moldova Needs Us to Support Reforms, Not Governments
Transatlantic TakeBUCHAREST, Romania—History repeats itself, giving us the chance to avoid repeating our mistakes. The Ukrainian story should have taught us a lot about the short-sightedness of supporting a bad government for geopolitical reasons. Now, as protests against Moldova’s newly formed government are drawing many thousands, is the...
What the Falling Oil Price Means for Russia and Ukraine
At present the price of Brent crude oil is $28 per barrel, while it was $114 per barrel in June 2014. This price fall by three-quarters is of great importance for the Russian economy and its policy toward Ukraine. The only rational option for the Kremlin is to wind down the conflict with Ukraine.Russia is a petrostate. When the oil price was...
Ukraine Fines Russia’s Gazprom $3.4B For Abusing Its Market Position
January 22, 2016 …read more Source: Center on Global...
Poroshenko Says Ukraine Will Regain Territories
Ukraine’s president blames Russia for delays in implementing Minsk agreement and for providing greater autonomy for separatist regions – but pledges Kyiv will get Crimea back. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Chechnya’s Ruler a ‘National Security Threat,’ says Russian Deputy
Opposition politician to publish a report on Ramzan Kadyrov, highlighting political assassinations in Russia in which the Chechnya strongman leader may have played a role. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Cameron not in a hurry to secure deal with EU but calls on business to back him when he does
Cameron not in a hurry to secure deal with EU but calls on business to back him when he doesSpeaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Prime Minister David Cameron issued a call for businesses to come out and support his push to stay in a reformed EU – telling them “don’t hold back”. The Times reports that, at a CBI breakfast in Davos,...
Christine Lagarde deserves a second term at the IMF
On 3 March 2016, the IMF Executive Board will announce who they have decided to lead the Fund for the next five years. Christine Lagarde has announced she will seek reappointment after completing her current term. In the next few weeks, the Board will accept nominations from country directors and governors. Lagarde will probably keep the job, and...
Democrats in ‘Group Think’ Land
A curious reality about Official Washington is that to have “credibility” you must accept the dominant “group thinks” whether they have any truth to them or not, a rule that applies to both the mainstream news media and the political world, even to people who deviate from the pack on other topics. For instance, Sen. Bernie Sanders may proudly...
