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January 25, 2011 | The Plight of the Roma Minority Concerns Everyone in Europe

Anamaria Tamas: During communist times, the Roma were socially and economically marginalized in their ‎home countries. However, recent deportations are reinforcing their alienation in Western Europe also. Governments need to invest in social programs and engage in constructive dialogue to ‎foster integration. ‎

April 20, 2010 | Belarus Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Helen Turek: Since 2008’s Russia-Georgia war, Belarus has failed to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Belarus has already missed its Spring 2010 deadline to make a decision on the issue. The decision will determine whether Belarusian allegiance lies with Europe or with Russia.

March 26, 2009 | A Bulgarian Should Head NATO

Ira Louis Straus: Bulgaria’s former foreign minister Solomon Passy is the best candidate running for the position of NATO Secretary General. His better understanding of Atlanticism stems out of Bulgarian Atlanticism, which unlike most Eastern European Atlanticisms has managed to overcome Cold War attitudes.

January 15, 2009 | What Sikorski Brings to NATO

Tyson Barker: NATO is consistently looking for a means of reinventing itself to increase its relevance in the post-Cold War era. By boldly appointing Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski as the next Secretary General of NATO, the alliance can start the process in earnest.

October 9, 2008 | Shared Interests

Mark Brzezinski: It is unlikely that there is a Kremlin “master plan” guiding Russia’s actions toward her neighbors - her actions are driven variably by ambition and nostalgia, confusion or misinterpretation, irritation or resentment. The West’s goal should be to make Russia understand that working together with the US and EU will make it more prosperous, secure and free.

June 2, 2008 | Med Union and Eastern Partnership are Rivals in the EU-Vision Contest

Marek Swierczynski: Now the Lisbon Treaty is almost over and done with, the EU is encouraged to look south- and eastwards. Initiatives by France and a Polish-Swedish team aim at creating buffer-spaces between the EU and unstable regions, but could create tensions that challenge the bloc’s unity.

April 1, 2008 | How Britain Now Runs European Security

Daniel Korski: Something odd is happening across Europe’s security landscape. In spite of British Prime Minister Brown’s euro-scepticism, and Britain’s supposed European isolation following the Iraq War, London is once again becoming the centerpiece of European security cooperation.

April 13, 2010 | Killing Kyrgyzstan's Cycle of Unrest with Kindness

The US is militarily and monetarily invested in Kyrgyzstan’s future and should focus its efforts on supporting the fledgling democratic government. ++ The White House pays an inflated rate for use of a military installation outside the capital Bishkek, which was tripled because of the efforts of Russian and Chinese governments to drive the US from the region. ++ Last week’s revolution should be

February 12, 2010 | Eastern Europe Needs the Euro

The global financial crisis has had severe repercussions in the new Eastern European EU-member states, as well as in the three former Soviet Republics of Belorussia, Ukraine, and Moldavia. The following lessons can be drawn from the manner in which the crisis impacted these Eastern European countries:

If a currency peg is to be used in this region, then it should be in the dominant currency in

July 17, 2009 | Eastern European Political Elite Criticizes Obama

Former decision makers from Eastern Europe warn President Obama in an open letter about an deterioration of bilateral relations. ++ The tone of the letter is “much sharper than the usual language of diplomacy.” ++ This reaction of high-ranking political protagonists is a result of the current cooling of Eastern Europe’s relations with the US. ++ The authors state: ‘Our region is one part of the

May 6, 2009 | Eastern Europe Needs EU Help to Overcome Crisis

While
Western Europe is slowly beginning to view the
future once again with optimism, the crisis still has a tight grip on the East.
Multiple Eastern European countries are sinking deeper into recession, the
export market with the West is broken, and banks are on the brink due to
excessive indebtedness and falling exchange rates. The effects thereof are felt
in Western Europe as well. It is

April 28, 2009 | Crisis Threatens Political Progress in Ukraine

The causes of the protracted economic and political crisis in Ukraine go deeper than most analysts admit. ++ Ukraine’s government, in the face of economic crisis, is paralyzed. ++ Democratic progress of the Orange Revolution is overshadowed by a weak rule of law, fragile property rights, and the constant problem of corruption. ++ The abnormally fierce political rivalries and murky divisions of

February 25, 2009 | Where is the Money to Help Eastern Europe?

Eastern Europe is acutely hit by the economic crisis and WB President Zoellick estimates that the region would need $120bn to recapitalize its banks. ++ Western Europe, as the main investor and credit provider in the region, is however not immune from the critical state of its neighbor. ++ Western European banks have thus started cutting money supplies to the East fearing that the incapacity of

February 23, 2009 | The "Euroization" of Eastern Europe

The financial crisis is bad, but eurozone members still have some hope given the bail out guarantees. ++ It’s in Central and Eastern Europe that the catastrophe scenario seems too real to escape; the provision of mortgages in foreign currencies and the reluctance to adopt policy to prepare countries for their future transition to the euro combined to create a financial disaster. ++ The

February 20, 2009 | Old Europe to The Rescue!

The liberalization paradigm, mantra of Eastern Europe in the 90s that aimed to speed up the integration process, is being questioned as the region is devastated by the economic crisis. ++ Old Europe had better help these new member states through measures such as contributions of loans and economic surveillance. ++ Mishandling the crisis would be detrimental for the whole European continent and

December 12, 2008 | EU Beckons Ukraine and Georgia

A battle over ex-Soviet republics is taking place between Brussels and Moscow. ++ This quarrel is the subtext to the laborious negotiations over Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO and the EU. ++ The EU has shown a clear desire for greater “association” with its neighbors but refuses to start real talks for fear of angering Russia. ++ A European presence in the region is necessary to

November 26, 2008 | Eastern Europe Needs Financial Protection Too

As EU banks have been stabilized, east European subsidiaries have been discarded because some don’t want to use taxpayer money abroad. ++ As a result, investors are fleeing the “wrong side of a financial Iron Curtain.” ++ The EU ignores eastern Europe’s significance to their own prosperity. ++ If the crises remains in eastern Europe, production across Europe will slow,

August 25, 2008 | Eastern Europe Can Only Count on Itself

Poles, Czechs and Hungarians should be under no illusion that they can count on the US in case of a crisis. ++ In the past the US used to leave its Eastern European allies in the lurch and its recent reaction to Georgia’s plight was no different. ++ The only thing that the frontline states can do is to count on themselves. ++ They should make a larger commitment to their own defense,

November 16, 2007 | Russia Returns to the Baltic

Russia’s influence once again looms over the Baltic countries, and their position within the European Union and NATO is not mitigating the threat, argues International Herald Tribune journalist Adam Ellick. New Russian investments in media and infrastructure, coercive use of strategic energy sources, and instigation of militancy among Russian minorities have rendered Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

May 15, 2007 | The ENP Three Years On: Where From - and Where Next?

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has difficulties meeting the expectations and demands of dealing with the EU’s neighbourhood, argues Antonio Missiroli of the European Policy Centre. This is mainly due to the EU’s undifferentiated approach towards its partner countries from Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Mediterranean.

So far, 16 countries have been involved

April 2, 2007 | Cornell and Jonsson on Kosovo's Uncertain Future

SAIS researchers Cornell and Jonsson emphasize the threat of organized crime to Kosovo’s fragile stability. Kosovo began sliding toward state failure after the reestablishment of the Kosovo Liberation Army (PDK) as a political party and its incorporation into national security bodies. The PDK’s involvement with national security has created a major problem for the UN Mission in Kosovo and the