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Europe's East

Serbian President Boris Tadic resigns, paving the way for early presidential election

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Pro-Western Serbian President Boris Tadic said Wednesday he is resigning, paving the way for an early presidential election when he will face a strong challenge from a nationalist candidate who has Russia’s support. READ MORE

Caucasian Endspiel

Azerbaijan leaves. READ MORE

Lithuania and Poland: Lost in Translation

By Wojciech Borodzicz-Smolinski, Vytis Jurkonis

Lithuanian–Polish relations, though far from being perfect in the political sense, are on a very good level in economic terms. This awkward situation is not only a hard task for policy makers, but may also influence future generations and their vision regarding the cooperation between Poland and Lithuania. The bilateral relations of Poland and Lithuania, therefore, have become hostage to the complicated history of both nations and their respective complex inner political situations. READ MORE

New page in Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations

By Viktoria Zhavoronkova

After a 20-year stagnation, relations between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan are reaching a qualitatively new level. This fact was noted after the talks between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan in Baku. READ MORE

The State of the World: Germany's Strategy

By George Friedman

The idea of Germany having an independent national strategy runs counter to everything that Germany has wanted to be since World War II and everything the world has wanted from Germany. In a way, the entire structure of modern Europe was created to take advantage of Germany's economic dynamism while avoiding the threat of German domination. In writing about German strategy, I am raising the possibility that the basic structure of Western Europe since World War II and of Europe as a whole since 1991 is coming to a close. READ MORE

Reality of the Eurasian Economic Space

By Daniil Rozanov

Formally Russian Eurasian idea occurred in 1921 when there was issued an assembly of articles “Exodus to the West” and united emigrants-intellectuals (N.S. Trubetskoj, G.V. Frolovski, P.P.Suvchinski). In this assembly the thinkers suggested the concept of Eurasia. READ MORE

How Italy May Yet Save Europe… Really

By Maria Elena Gutierrez

The European sovereign debt crisis reached its apex when global financial markets began considering the possibility that a large euro zone economy — Italy, Spain, or both — could become another Greece, resulting in the dissolution of the single currency. By November 2011, the spread between the yields of 10-year Italian and German bonds was so great that Italy had to pay interest rates well above 7 percent on its long-term debt, a clearly unsustainable level. This marked a political turning point. But while Italy was once seen as a primary cause of the euro crisis, it could now be poised to be part of the solution. READ MORE

Hungary’s Prime Minister Bites the Hand that Feeds Him

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By James Kirchick

On March 15, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stood before nearly 100,000 of his fellow countrymen in Budapest and declared, “Hungarians will not live as foreigners dictate.” Drawing an explicit connection between the European Union, which Hungary enthusiastically joined in 2004, and the Soviet Union, which brutally crushed a Hungarian revolt in 1956, Orbán said, “We are more than familiar with the character of unsolicited comradely assistance, even if it comes wearing a finely tailored suit and not a uniform with shoulder patches.” READ MORE

“Pro-Romanian” President of Moldova

By Vitali Kulik

This March 23rd after almost three years pause Moldova obtained its President, thus getting out of evidently prolonged constitutional dead-end. Having just taken the office, the elected President, 63 years old Head of the Supreme Magistrate Council of the Republic of Moldova Nicolae Timofti, have already gained the reputation of the upholder of unification with Romania and “anti-Russian” project in the yellow press. READ MORE

US Envoy Sees Closer Moscow Ties After Putin's Election

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By James Brooke

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul, long an advocate of democracy in Russia, arrived in Moscow two months ago, and he walked straight into a groundswell of anti-Americanism. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was running for president and his supporters accused the new ambassador of supporting anti-Putin street protests. Putin won the election easily three weeks ago, and now McFaul talks about where he thinks U.S.-Russia relations go from here. READ MORE