Posted on January 11, 2018. Tags: EU, Military, military support, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, ukraine conflict, United States, US
University of Nottingham (Ningbo Campus) Assistant Professor Nicholas Ross Smith argues that while arming Ukraine may be the right thing to do, it naively underestimates the geopolitical reality of Eastern Europe and could result in a far worse outcome for both Ukraine and Europe. Donald Trump’s recent decision to approve the sale of more lethal arms […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, NATO, Russia, Ukraine Conflict, US, World
Posted on January 1, 2018. Tags: Communism, Croatia, EU, Europe, European Union, Tito, Titostalgia, Yugonostalgia, Yugoslavia, Zagreb
The decision of municipal authorities in the Croatian cities of Zagreb and Karlovac to remove former Yugoslav president Tito’s name from streets and squares has rekindled the debate over the ruler’s legacy. Here, Tony Fabijančić assesses attitudes for and against Tito, nostalgia for the former Yugoslavia (“Yugonostalgia”), and the ongoing political division between left and […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, World
Posted on December 19, 2017. Tags: defense, European Defense Spending, France, Germany, Military, military technology, Security
Europe is currently facing a fundamental shift in its approach to armaments procurement: cooperation both between countries and manufacturers in the development and production of armaments is considered the only way forward in the coming decades. With Germany and France representing the vanguard of the European defense industry, the fate of their KANT project symbolizes […]
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Posted in Europe, France, Germany, Security Issues, Technology, World
Posted on November 4, 2017. Tags: Chile, Latin America, South America, State Terrorism, Terrorism
Mass media and politicians often describe terrorism as one of the greatest security threats to international society. These bold claims have contributed towards an unquestioned belief that terrorism has become a grave threat to our everyday lives. The sporadic and murderous nature of terrorism has been a powerful influence on public threat perception. However, the […]
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Posted in Conflict, Europe, Latin America, Security Issues, Terrorism, US, World
Posted on August 24, 2017. Tags: Baltic States, Deterrence, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, NATO, New Cold War, Russia, Ukraine
The baltic states responding to the threat posed by a resurgent Russia is understandable, but the nature of this threat and the means to reduce it need to be re-examined. From 2014 onwards, Western commentators covering Russian aggression in the former Soviet space have repeatedly issued stark warnings of a potential threat to the Baltic […]
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Posted in Europe, Russia, Security Issues, World
Posted on August 4, 2017. Tags: Brexit, catalonia, Economics, European Central Bank, European Union, Independence Referendum, Politics, spain, Trade, United Kingdom
Image by David Tubau (Energético) One year on from the Brexit vote, Europe’s economy faces yet another monumental challenge in the shape of the Catalan independence referendum. There are doubts as to whether the referendum will go ahead; a referendum on independence was held in 2014, but after the Spanish constitutional court annulled it, the […]
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Posted in Economic Security, Economics, European Union, Global Economy, World
Posted on June 23, 2017. Tags: Deliberation, Democracy, Dialogue, ISIS, Islam, Islamic State, Islamophobia, jihadi, Pluralism, radicalisation, Salafism, Terrorism
The United Kingdom has been shaken by four terror attacks in three months. Three were carried out by ISIS supporters and the latest was the result of anti-Muslim sentiments. These attacks follow a number of jihadi attacks in other European countries: France, Belgium, Germany and Sweden. The recurrence of these events (and often their low-tech […]
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Posted in Europe, Islam, Religion, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
Posted on June 8, 2017. Tags: Alternative facts, Barack Obama, Brexit, Islam, race, Racism, Trump, Truth
Truth and Democracy have always had a troubled relationship, but perhaps never as troubled as now. From Plato’s Noble Lie to Kellyanne Conway’s Alternative Facts, there has always been a tension between the presentation of an objective truth and the exercise of political power. Michael Ignatieff, himself an academic turned not particularly successful politician, mused […]
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Posted in Europe, US, World
Posted on May 22, 2017. Tags: defense, EU, Europe, France, Macron, NATO, Russia, Security, United States
With the recent nomination of his government, President Macron takes a chance to rejuvenate the idea of a European defence, an ambitious plan that collapsed when it failed to obtain the ratification in the French Parliament back in 1954. The European Defence Community emerged from the Pleven plan, proposed in 1950 by the French Prime […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, France, World
Posted on May 12, 2017. Tags: Abkhazia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, conflict, Council of Europe, Crimea, Energy, Eurasia, Europe, European Union, frozen conflicts, Georgia, Iskander missiles, Military, Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh, oil and gas, OSCE, peace negotiations, Russia, Russian bases, South Ossetia, Soviet, Soviet Union, Trans-Dniestr, Transnistria, Ukraine, UN, United States
By Eugen Iladi It’s no secret that Russia is using military means and disinformation to try to reassemble its Soviet Union footprint. Ukraine has drawn the most headlines in this effort. But the Kremlin has long been working its land-grab plan in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan. Russia’s economic failure and social challenges in the 21st […]
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Posted in Conflict, Europe, Political Security, Russia, Ukraine Conflict, US, World
Posted on May 9, 2017. Tags: Brexit, Conservative, Democracy, Labour, Media, Political Communication, polling, Polls, Spin, UKIP
By Daniel Shaw and Claire Elliott Political polls are making a fast comeback after failing to correctly predict either Brexit or the election of Donald Trump. Following the highpoint of Nate Silver’s flawless prediction of Obama’s 2008 victory, these embarrassing failures blew up in the face of both polling companies and liberal orthodoxy. These failures were […]
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Posted in Europe, UK News, US, World
Posted on April 17, 2017. Tags: Asia, CETA, EU, Globalization, International Political Economy, TPP, Trade, United States
With an overwhelming majority of 408 votes against 254, the European Parliament recently approved the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. This came only three weeks after Donald Trump’s formal withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a deal involving 12 nations around the Pacific Ocean. As trade is silently shaking world politics […]
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Posted in Europe, Global Economy, US, World
Posted on March 25, 2017. Tags: Ian Paisley, IRA, Ireland, Irish Republican Army, Martin McGuinness, Nationalism, Nelson Mandela, Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein, Terrorism
With the death of Martin McGuinness, the former Provisional IRA senior commander turned peace-maker and Deputy First Minister, one is struck that such a transition was simultaneously, impressive and outrageous. I had the opportunity of meeting McGuinness last January when I interviewed him. I was struck by his warmth and generosity in taking time out […]
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Posted in Conflict, Europe, Security Issues, Terrorism, UK News, World
Posted on February 10, 2017. Tags: Brexit, EU, Global finance, Globalization, International Political Economy, Trade, United Kingdom, United States
Brexit, Donald Trump and the growing nationalism wave sweeping across the Western world represent a new political backlash against globalisation, which might seriously threaten the world liberal economic order and global security. In her much-anticipated speech on 17 January, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced her plans for a “Hard Brexit”, which will end […]
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Posted in Europe, Global Economy, US, World
Posted on January 21, 2017. Tags: Belgium, Brussels, Counterterrorism, EU, Security, Terrorism
On March 22nd 2016 the two consecutive bombings at the Brussels’ Zaventem airport and the Maalbeek metro station brought Belgian counterterrorism policy under heavy scrutiny. With the Paris attacks foreshadowing an impending threat, the Belgian security alert had been raised to critical levels since November 2015. Yet in spite of warnings from numerous countries, the […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
Posted on July 2, 2016. Tags: Art, Censorship, Control, Corruption, Creatives, Culture, Democracy, Erdogan, Expression, FIlm, Free Speech, Freedom, Human Rights, Istanbul, Kurds, Music, Politics, Press, Turkey
Turkey has a history of strict censorship which still remains a prominent issue in modern day Istanbul and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Media censorship is at an all time high with 140 press censorship cases already known in the country, newspapers have been shut down and journalists imprisoned. Now censorship is spreading to the […]
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Posted in Culture, Europe, Middle East, Political Security, Turkey, World
Posted on July 1, 2016. Tags: Doping, Olympics, Putin, Russia
Due to the International Association of Athletic Federations’ (IAAF) June 17th decision to maintain the suspension of the All-Russian Athletic Federation (ARAF), Russian track and field athletes will be largely ineligible for competition in the 2016 Olympic Games. Due to contrasting statements by the IAAF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on June 21st, however, there reportedly remains […]
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Posted in Europe, Russia, World
Posted on June 26, 2016. Tags: Brexit, Conservative, EU, Labour, Lib Dem., Referendum, Scottish independence, SNP
The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union is certain to have far reaching consequences both domestically and internationally. Dominating early headlines is the idea that this decision could lead to the fragmentation of the UK as geographic divisions have been thrown into sharp relief. With Northern Ireland and Scotland both voting to remain – Scotland […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, Global Economy, Scottish Independence, UK News, World
Posted on June 22, 2016. Tags: Angela Merkel, Brexit, Brussels, David Cameron, EU Referendum, Germany, Leave, Oil, Remain, Scotland, Scotland's Referendum, Scottish independence
CC Image courtesy of Rareclass This piece was also published in Huffington Post on 23rd June 2016 Something we in Scotland learned the hard way in 2014 is that referendum questions are dangerous because they make both choices on the ballot paper seem equally plausible. By giving the people a choice we somehow assume that […]
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Posted in Europe, European Union, Germany, Global Economy, Refugees, Scottish Independence, UK News, World
Posted on June 19, 2016. Tags: Boris Johnson, Brexit, Conservatives, Constitutionalism, David Cameron, Democracy, Economics, EU Referendum, European Union, Independence Referendum, Labour, Opposition, Populism, Rhetoric, Security, U.S., United Kingdom
In trying to puzzle through the populism animating the right and left after the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2015 European migrant crisis, we can draw a worrying parallel between the UK referenda and social and economic populism in the US. As in the US presidential race, the UK’s Remain/Leave debate is complex: it […]
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Posted in Europe, UK News, US, World