Hollywood and other sects have made millions of dollars speculating on the eventual end of the world in 2012. However, should 2012 be instead seen as the year of the renouveau? Powerful states will go through a change of leadership next year; as is the case with France, the United States, China, Russia, Spain, India, […]
Morally bankrupt movie star Hilary Swank attended the festive birthday party of dictator Ramzan Kadyrov in the Chechen capital of Grozny on Wednesday, accompanied by a number of other celebrities including pop culture oddity Jean-Claude Van Damme and British violinist Vanessa Mae. Reportedly, Ms Mae was paid half a million dollars to attend the party […]
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 […]
Recent accusations that millions of dollars were funneled from Azerbaijan in exchange for assurances that Azerbaijani boxers would win gold medals at the London Olympic Games in 2012 have led to denials from the world’s Olympic boxing organization, indignation from Baku, and an ad hoc committee that will investigate the claims. Since the the airing […]
Did you know that Skype comes from Estonia? Ok, smartypants. But did you know Skype loves the Soviet Union? Well, maybe not loves exactly, but at least gives credit where credit is due. For some reason, Baltic people are not exactly what you’d call nostalgic for their former Slav overlords. So I was surprised to […]
Since the recession, bashing the European Union has become a sport for U.S. commentators. Just skim the most recent headlines, and one is led to believe that the old continent is on the brink of economic, political and social collapse. The truth is that very few commentators really seem to grasp the revolutionary character of […]
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 […]
What makes a currency unique? The symbols, monuments, leaders figuring on the paper money, are exemplifications of the collective identity and shared culture. In the case of the Euro, as underlined by Gideon Rachman, the symbols on Euro’s coins and bills are fictitious. Last week, I ask one of my close friends, Dr. Maria Lorca-Susino, […]
Another of Azerbaijan’s prominent defense lawyers was effectively disbarred late last week, the third such incident involving attorneys for opposition figures in recent months. Elchin Namazov, who had been representing four defendants involved in street protests in April, was expelled from Azerbaijan’s “Collegium,” an organization that vets attorneys for participation in felony trials. Lawyers Khalid […]
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 […]
This week, the ballet of heads of state and government will open up at the United Nations headquarter in New York. This year, tensions are a little higher than the previous ones for one reason: Palestine. The Palestinian Authority will be seeking for a change of status within the UN. One of the major concerns […]
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%, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]