Section: Research Organizations & Think Tanks about Ukraine
Weekend catch-up: Defending Taiwan, Russia’s war, aid workers, TPP and more
[youtube:vZ9myHhpS9s] First off, as Sam wrote this week, we are hosting a live event in Canberra on 28 May, The Interpreter’s Ultimate World Politics Trivia Challenge. It’s at the National Press Club and will be hosted by the ABC’s Chis Uhlmann. I’m sure it will be as memorable as other famous quiz nights (see above). The...
Russia’s Victory Parade: Is Putin Winning?
On May 9th Russia will hold its annual parade to commemorate victory in World War II. This year’s ceremony is of particular significance, falling on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, and at a time of tangible Russian isolation by fellow Europeans. Moscow will also debut a new line of military hardware for the army, demonstrating...
Information War in the 21st Century
The information age is turning into the disinformation age. From Vladimir Putin’s use of media to hallucinate a war into reality in Ukraine, through to ISIS’ snuff videos and China’s ‘internet ushers’ to control social media, the 21st century is seeing a new intensity and scale of media manipulation and psychological...
Tell us: What does “My Ukraine” mean to you?
On Tuesday, we will publish the next Brookings Essay, which explores the roots of the crisis in Ukraine and the sentiments of the Ukrainian people. In “My Ukraine,” Chrystia Freeland, a former Ukrainian-based reporter with strong family ties to the country, offers a personal reflection on Ukraine’s dream of independence and the nightmare...
What happened to New Europe?
The former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is commonly given credit for coining the term “New Europe” a decade ago, in reference to the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. At the time, these countries were counted amongst the most staunchly pro-American members of NATO—and also among the boldest economic reformers on the...
EU Aspirants Face a Closed, if Not Locked, Door on Enlargement
Aspirant EU members Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are poised to leave the upcoming EU Eastern Partnership Summit disappointed, though not empty-handed. An advance draft of the Eastern Partnership declaration, to be unveiled at the summit on May 21 to 22 in Riga, Latvia, underscores the European Union’s drift away from stronger engagement...
Ukraine Crisis Update: May 7, 2015
Download the PDF ISW is issuing a warning about an imminent Russian-backed separatist offensive in eastern Ukraine on or around Victory Day, May 9, 2015. Further intensification of Russian-backed separatist attacks and the mobilization of separatist forces under the guise of preparations for Victory Day military parades celebrating the 70th...
On energy, Europe looks to Ukraine and beyond
Photo: Huffington Post When the energy ministers of the G7 countries met in Rome last May, the Russian assault on Eastern Ukraine was in full swing. Europe and its allies were focused on energy security, an obvious preoccupation given the importance of Ukraine as a transit country for natural gas supplies to Europe. With that background, the...
Putin’s Patriotism Campaign: A Dangerous Bunch of Hot Air
The 70th anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II has been increasingly viewed in Russia as an unprecedented event of historic and national scale. This view has been shaped by the sharp rise of patriotic sentiment caused by the Kremlin’s adventures in Ukraine and hysterical propaganda in the state media. According to...
Be thankful for Poland’s boring presidential election
The upcoming presidential election in Poland seems like a rather dull affair. Given Central Europe’s turbulent politics and the rise of Russian influence in the region, that is a wonderful thing.The incumbent, 62-year old Bronislaw Komorowski, nominated by the center-right Civic Platform, is leading in the polls, in spite of his slow-moving...
