Putin Pivots Away From U.S. and Toward the East
The U.S. should seriously consider how to build a new relationship with Russia. After the episode with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and the postponement of the bilateral summit, Washington should take a sober look at the facts. Was the Snowden episode unique and did it change the overall logic of recent U.S.-Russian relations? Has the "reset" succeeded in ridding those relations of Cold War-era stereotypes and approaches? READ MORE
Azerbaijan Earns Deferential Treatment from Moscow
Among the six countries in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program, Azerbaijan under its President Ilham Aliyev seems uniquely impervious to Russian forms of leverage and, consequently, unique in receiving respectful treatment from the Kremlin. These two factors are closely connected in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s view of international relations, derived from his own social milieu. Like a neighborhood bully, Putin respects strength while intimidating those more vulnerable. READ MORE
No strike on Syria before G20 summit: Russian experts
Leaders of the group of the G20 major economies are set to debate sanctions against Syria in a 5-6 September meeting in St Petersburg, with Western nations led by the United States preparing for air strikes in retaliation to a recent chemical attack on civilians. READ MORE
Russia’s Middle-East End Game, at the Hands of the Post-Soviet Grandmaster
Why Putin believes U.S. policies in the Middle East since the Arab Spring have been misguided, unprincipled, and dangerous. READ MORE
Davutoğlu calls for Security Council decision if Syria refuses chemical attack probe
Following visits to three European capitals, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu continued his diplomatic push for Syria in Istanbul, meeting successively the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) leader Ahmad Jarba and his Qatari counterpart Khaled al-Attiyah on Aug. 24. READ MORE
Bulgarian and Romanian migration: “An imaginary fear”
The eastern enlargement of the EU in 2004 is acclaimed by many, especially the elites, as the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries “returning to Europe”. Enlargement is encouraged by ambitions of forming Pan-European unity, extending its influence, promulgating the ideas of the free market economy, pluralistic democracy, and democratic values, and preventing conflict between newly-independent countries. However, searching for stability inside and greater effectiveness outside of European elites via Eastern enlargement is in contradiction with that the expansion will be cause of massive influx of migrants. Since, this was the first time in EU’s history that many countries and people in this size would have joined the EU at the same time via 2004 enlargement. In the eyes of the “old Europeans”, the wealth disparity between the old and new members and the more dynamic demographic structure of Eastern Europe might cause massive migration. It’s for this reason that Eurobarometer surveys in the late 1990s repeatedly showed that many Europeans opposed to “big-bang enlargement” feared losing their jobs. READ MORE
A NEW ROUND OF RUSSIAN POLICY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
Held on August 13, 2013 visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin in one of the key countries of the South Caucasus - Azerbaijan and accompanied the President respectable Russian delegation, which included representatives of the first echelon of the government and big business, has once again demonstrated what a tremendous value that this the region continues to be for Moscow. And it is directly related to the extremely favorable geopolitical location of the South Caucasus, especially in periods of high volatility around its perimeter. READ MORE
A Successful Vilnius Summit: Mission Possible
The Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit that will take place in November in Vilnius, Lithuania, is already generating buzz. Set to be a major milestone in the EU’s relations with the Eastern Partnership states, the summit is expected to reach a crescendo with the signing of an Association Agreement with Ukraine. The announcement of the end of talks on or even the initialing of similar agreements with Moldova and Georgia may be additional high notes. READ MORE
WTO Knew Nothing about “Trade War” between Ukraine and Russia
Ukraine and Russia have decided to resolve independently the current custom’s situation about the export of goods and not to ask for the assistance of the World Trade Organization. READ MORE
GAS COLLISIONS BETWEEN BAKU AND BRUSSELS
Experts are talking about the defeat of the EU, as Nabucco even as Nabucco West - has remained on paper. With TAP pipeline EU got the chance to direct supplies from the Caspian Sea 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year from 2019-th. But it will apply only to the two countries - EU member states through which the pipeline will pass - Greece and Italy. Having given the benefit of TAP, Azerbaijan lost the chance to get to Central Europe, where there will be a positive growth of gas consumption. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, or SOCAR, as a group of Western companies - participants of the Shah Deniz consortium and TAP, frankly scared to compete with "Gazprom". But for Baku it is not only in the gas.
