Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Balkans

Chinese economic interests and the threat to EU cohesion

Chinese economic interests and the threat to EU cohesion

Today, some of Europe’s poorest countries are critical to China’s global economic development strategy. Under the 16+1 sub-regional framework, which includes eleven countries from central and eastern Europe and five from the Balkans (CEEC), China is pursuing investment opportunities in infrastructure in order to enhance its connectivity with the European region. Thus far, Chinese interests have […]

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In the Balkans, crony capitalism runs deep

In the Balkans, crony capitalism runs deep

The fall of Croatia’s biggest privately-owned company, Agrokor, has brought into sharp relief the extent to which crony capitalism, botched privatizations, and corruption still hold sway in the Balkans. In a recent report, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom highlighted the Agrokor scandal – and the actions of its larger-than-life owner, Ivica Todoric – as worrying signs […]

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Is Obama’s Syria Policy Defensible?

Is Obama’s Syria Policy Defensible?

Has Obama has been taking the “least bad” course on Syria? Reflecting on the last two decades of U.S. foreign policy interventions, the answer is yes.

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A Helping Hand: Stephen Wordsworth and CARA

A Helping Hand: Stephen Wordsworth and CARA

As unrest in Syria slid into a civil war, Stephen and CARA were at the forefront of attempts to help Syrian intellectuals escape the violence so they could one day return to rebuild their country.

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Freedom Calling in Montenegro?

Freedom Calling in Montenegro?

Opposition movements in Montenegro will gather for a “Sloboda Trazi Montenegro” (Freedom Calling) rally in Podgorica on September 27.

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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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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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