Foreign Policy Blogs

Europe

NATO Back on Dual-Track?

NATO Back on Dual-Track?

NATO should strengthen both aspects of this renewed dual-track policy—responding to the security needs of its most exposed members, while at the same time advocating dialogue and transparency to diffuse tension in their relations with Russia.

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Turkey and the EU: Sleeping with the Enemy

Turkey and the EU: Sleeping with the Enemy

Ankara has manifested a habit of eagerly seeking concessions and funding from the EU, but being notably less keen on keeping its own side of the bargains.

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Sarkozy in Perspective

Sarkozy in Perspective

S&P finally downgraded France’s credit rating several weeks ago, along with a few other EU Member States. The decision could undeniably cost Sarkozy the reelection in May 2012; many believe Sarkozy is solely responsible for the downgrade. But May 2012 is still far away from a political standpoint. Since his election in 2007, Sarkozy has […]

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Gazprom Admits to Reducing NatGas Flow to Europe

Gazprom Admits to Reducing NatGas Flow to Europe

The cold snap that has frozen most of Europe solid has created some tensions over Russia’s role as supplier of natural gas to its neighbors. On Friday, a Gazprom official claimed that Ukraine was taking more than its share from the pipeline that runs through its territory. For those who remember the unpleasantness between Moscow […]

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Politics in Austria: Expatriates and Bureaucrats

Politics in Austria: Expatriates and Bureaucrats

Theodor Lessing’s book Der Jüdische Selbsthass (Jewish Self-hatred) was the first work to discuss the concept of Jewish self-hatred, which as the British Journal of Social Psychology states “is often used rhetorically to discount Jews who differ in their lifestyles, interests or political positions from their accusers.” In Austria, this accusation is sometimes labeled against […]

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Basque Terrorists Lay Down Arms, Again

Basque Terrorists Lay Down Arms, Again

Since 1959, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna [ETA] has waged a violent campaign for Basque independence from Spain and France. The body count since the first murder in 1968 stands at 829. On October 20, ETA announced an end to its paramilitary activities in a statement that read in part, “ETA has decided on the definitive cessation […]

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The Future of the European Model

The Future of the European Model

The European model of social welfare has long been accused of being unsustainable. The related but often ignored phenomena of low birth rates and aging populations have led analysts to wonder how an ever smaller proportion of workers could continue to pay for an increasing population of elderly dependents. With Europe in the throes of […]

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An Emerging EU Energy Policy

An Emerging EU Energy Policy

At a time when the European Union is struggling to act together to develop a coherent strategy to tackle its deepening financial problems, the EU Commission has published a recent Communication designed to enhance closer unity in the energy security arena and forge a coherent “single voice” approach in the energy sector when dealing with […]

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500 Million Europeans: Squandered Potential?

500 Million Europeans: Squandered Potential?

Yesterday evening, I had the privilege of attending two separate speeches, featuring two top diplomats. The first was former U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan, George P. Schulz; the second was current Greek Foreign Minister, Stavros Lambrinidis. What stood out most to me about the two respective addresses were remarks, concerning current economic and […]

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Berlin election results and what they mean

Berlin election results and what they mean

The – formerly – most exciting city in the world has voted, bear me out in telling you how it matters for Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. As can easily be perused on the left, the Social-Democrats (SPD) won with a less than astounding 28.3%, followed by the Conservatives (CDU) at 23.4%, […]

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Hopeless But Not Serious: Austria’s Foreign Policy

Hopeless But Not Serious: Austria’s Foreign Policy

Last night I attended the New York Premiere Screening of Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace. Featuring interviews with Leon Charney, Back Door Channels reveals the unlikely confluence of events that produced one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the 20th Century: the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt. The term […]

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Cameron Crawls Back to Putin

Cameron Crawls Back to Putin

As if any more evidence were needed that Putin will return to the presidency, Britain’s David Cameron has raced to Moscow to mend fences. Of course, this being Cameron, his limp supplicating came with an extra dose of hypocritical moralising. The UK has not been talking to Moscow because of Russia’s refusal to extradite suspected […]

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Putin Presses Button to Start Nord Stream NatGas Pipeline

Putin Presses Button to Start Nord Stream NatGas Pipeline

Vladimir Putin was at a ceremony a few days ago at which he pressed the button that began the process of delivering natural gas to Germany through the Nord Stream pipeline. According to Gazprom, Nord Stream is the first direct link between Russia and the European gas transmission system. It runs under the Baltic Sea, […]

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Azerbaijan: Convictions for Protesters and Former Parliament Candidate

Azerbaijan: Convictions for Protesters and Former Parliament Candidate

Azerbaijani courts have convicted and sentenced seven defendants in cases relating to protests in April of this year and the parliamentary elections last November. Six defendants (Babek Hasanov, Zulfugar Eyvazov, Elshan Hasanov, Arif Alishli, Elnur Israfilov and Sahib Karimov) in Baku were convicted of charges of “organizing actions resulting in the violation of public order […]

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Turkey’s Commanding Generals Resign in Protest

Turkey’s Commanding Generals Resign in Protest

Chief of Staff General Işık Koşaner and all of the force commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces resigned by 18:00 EET today (July 29, 2011). This is considered as the biggest protest in Turkish republican military history and the first time that the Chief of Staff has resigned together with the commanders of the navy […]

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