Foreign Policy Blogs

Eastern Europe

Austria: Compulsory Military Service Haunted by the Ghosts of Stalingrad?

Austria: Compulsory Military Service Haunted by the Ghosts of Stalingrad?

For the first time in my living memory, the Austrian Federal Army is front-page news of Austrian papers and is debated heatedly on public television. Riding a populist crest but lacking the foresight of any clear direction, Vienna Mayor Michael Hauepl, Federal …

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In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)

In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)

This film is not only powerful but also excellent in every way.
It centers on a Muslim woman, Ajla, and a Serb soldier, Danijel, during the Bosnian war in the early 1990s.
Ethnic tensions, long suppressed by Tito, come to a head as Yugoslavia disintegrates.
The brutal ethnic cleansing of Muslims by Serbs …

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The Singing Revolution (2006)

The Singing Revolution (2006)

You don’t hear much about Estonia, which is in part why this documentary is so extraordinary.
It illustrates how thousands of Estonians gathered to sing patriotic songs in defiance of Soviet rule.
It provides a brief history of the country, which was a small playing piece during the second world war.
Singing has …

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Kyrgyzstan: Uncertain Future of Manas Transit Center

Kyrgyzstan: Uncertain Future of Manas Transit Center

As NATO is looking for logistic ways to implement the concluded strategic partnership agreement with Afghanistan, which extends its participation in the region beyond pullout timeline of 2014, Kyrgyzstan regains leverage over Russia and the United States, considering it hosts military bases for both countries. However, this time Kyrgyz new …

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A Film Unfinished (2010)

A Film Unfinished (2010)

Four reels of film were discovered in Germany decades after World War II was ended.
The film had no credits and no soundtrack.
This rough cut showed scenes from the Warsaw ghetto in May 1942.
The makers of this movie interviewed the cameraman who took the footage. They also showed survivors of the …

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