Hollande slumps in polls ... and it could get worse
After four months in power President François Hollande has suffered a massive drop in popularity, his government is split over the eurozone fiscal pact and companies continue to lay workers off. This week is unlikely to see a turnaround — new unemployment figures will be announced on Wednesday and the cabinet will discuss a widely dreaded budget on Friday. READ MORE
Ilves, Grybauskaite talk security
The presidents of Estonia and Lithuania met this weekend to discuss cyber and energy security. READ MORE
EU, Azerbaijan sign deal on gas supplies
BAKU – Azerbaijan and the European Union signed a deal Thursday that commits the Caspian country to supply Europe with "substantial volumes of gas" to implement the planned Southern Corridor of pipelines bypassing Russia, the EU said. READ MORE
Georgia And The European Union: Perspectives For 2011
After the 2008 war in Georgia integration with the EU became an obvious priority for Tbilisi. The relationship, although useful for both sides, leaves a lot to be desired. READ MORE
The Reset Blooms
Over the past year, I was skeptical of the Obama administration’s vaunted “reset” of relations with Russia. In January of this year, I wrote, “The problem is simple: not only are many Russian and American interests today out of alignment, the political realities in both countries work against any effective partnership being developed.” READ MORE
In A Multi-Vector Trap: Who Will Guarantee The Security Of Ukraine?
In the end of September Ukraine raised an important issue during the UNO General Assembly – who will guarantee the security of non-nuclear states? Which is the point to strive for neutrality if it will result into vulnerability? In this respect “Politcom.ru” asked the experts the following question: how do you assess the possibility of the signing of an international treaty that would guarantee the security of Ukraine and other states, which refused of its nuclear potential and/or which are not included into international military blocks? READ MORE
Development and Security: Will European Institutional Changes Help or Hinder Effective Action?
Transatlantic Taskforce on Development Blog Series. READ MORE
Will Moscow-Kiyv Ties Improve After Ukrainian Election?
Ukrainians go to the polls Sunday to elect a new president. Analysts say who wins will determine the course of relations between Ukraine and Russia. READ MORE
Bridge on the Dnieper
Ukraine is in the news again, this time for its panicked response to a flu epidemic that has claimed over three hundred lives. In many countries, this would simply be a matter of public health, but in Ukraine, where politics is polarized by culture and region, an epidemic is another excuse for partisan wrangling. President Viktor Yushchenko is engaged in an escalating verbal battle with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a onetime ally now angling for his job. A presidential election is scheduled for January 17. READ MORE
Negotiations On The Transnistria Conflict In A Deep Freeze
Authorities in Tiraspol are watching the political deadlock in Chisinau with barely concealed satisfaction. Moldova’s political and constitutional crisis since April has further deepened the freeze on both tracks of negotiations on the Transnistria conflict: the international 5+2 format and the bilateral right bank – left bank dialogue. Tiraspol is in a position to argue irrefutably that negotiations can only resume after Moldova resolves its internal crisis and elects a head of state. READ MORE
