Ukraine is a diverse nation with a strong civil society. This could restrain a potentially authoritarian political leadership. The “Orange” leaders may have lost the election, but a limited mandate means the new president will have to make concessions and Ukraine has a chance of remaining democrat
On the eve of the crucial run-off in Ukraine's presidential election, Fabrizio Tassinari argues that enlargement fatigue in the EU has meant that since the Orange Revolution Ukraine has been offered no real prospect of joining Europe
There were such hopes for the future in Georgia after the Rose Revolution in 2004, but history is running backwards, says former foreign minister Salome Zourabishvili, and President Saakashvili must be told that enough is enough
Alexander Sergunin is right that Moscow is concerned the EU’s Eastern Partnership is setting out to undermine its sphere of influence. But this is a misperception, responds Sebastian Schaeffer, for it implies a zero sum game. In fact, the EU and Russia are mutually dependent and have overlapping i
Moscow’s attitude towards the EU fluctuates. There are deep-seated doubts that the EU is attempting to undermine Russia’s geopolitical positions in its traditional sphere of interest. Alexander Sergunin examines Russian concerns.
In the second part of this important interview with polit.ru’s Boris Dolgin, veteran foreign affairs analyst Dmitry Trenin outlines an optimistic vision of Russia’s future. The country’s foreign policy will change as Russia’s elite matures, he predicts. In time, that elite will need the rule of la
There have been many attempts at building new structures to replace the Soviet Union, since it fell 10 years ago. These have left the political landscape littered with acronyms: CST, CSTO, CRRF, SCO, EEC, SES, GUAM and GUUAM. In the second part of his article Sergei Markedonov reviews their succes
On the eve of Ukraine’s election, Andreas Umland rebukes Europe for its indecisive policy towards Ukraine. By refusing to offer Ukraine a clear prospect of eventual EU membership, the EU has exacerbated the country’s political problems in ways which could prove disastrous.
Russia’s foreign policy is outdated, according to the distinguished foreign affairs analyst Dmitry Trenin. In the first part of this interview with polit.ru’s Boris Dolgin he argues that rather than focus on preserving Russia’s status as a great power, its aim should be modernisation. Otherwise, g
2010 sees the 19th anniversary of the collapse of the USSR. In the first of this two-part review of the structures set up to replace it, Sergei Markedonov assesses the performance of the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS). He concludes that a complicating factor has been the lack of clarity
Ukraine is about to go to the polls to elect a new president. Though the election is unlikely to provoke a violent escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, politicians and bureaucrats on both sides should start thinking how to react in case it does happen, warns Andreas Umland
At the OSCE summit 10 years ago this week, Russia and NATO agreed a deal on troop and armament withdrawals from Moldova. It remains unratified, as Russia still has a military presence there. But if it follows through with reform, things may start looking up for this tiny country caught in a frozen
