Europe vs. racism - who wins?

17 Jan, 2016, No comments

by Jānis Urbanovičs

An important component of a serious problem is that it cannot be resolved. In the best case - complexity of the solution and huge amount of resources has to be invested. It is a waste not only of money, but also of human effort and time, which is always in short supply. That is why the Conference on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris has made it possible for Europe and the world to understand a very important thing – at present the climate change is not our main problem - if the compromise in this respect can be reached this easily. For more impression, this was announced after a demonstratively extended discussion; clamour caused by the media and NGOs, and it was hailed as a significant achievement - at the same time being aware that another eruption of a volcano can be comparable to industrial pollution of a decade. Full article is here.

A European: does this elicit pride?

29 Nov, 2015, No comments

by Janis Urbanovics

The most horrible mistake the European Union could make after the massacre in Paris would be any form of "revenge" to those people, who come to us in search of asylum and opportunity for safer life. It would be a victory given as a gift to the terrorists, the implementation of their plan.

Hysteria is a quite natural protective reaction of people during the moments of crisis; therefore, radical right-wing politicians are unfortunately tempted to trade on the fears of society and to incite xenophobia. In a number of the EU member states - moreover in those, that are situated more than a safe distance away from the concert hall "Bataklan" and the "Stade de France", including Latvia as well - even from the representatives of the government appeals to execute "closed-door policy" against Syrian refugees, to withdraw from the Schengen agreement and to build fences at national borders can be heard. Read more

Russia far from isolated in non-West community

10 Jul, 2015, No comments

by Dmitri Trenin, director of Carnegie Moscow Center

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host two important international summits, one of the BRICS group on July 8-9 and the other of Shanghai Cooperation Organizations members on July 9-10.

For public relations, this will allow him to send a message to the world that despite the rupture with Europe and a new "standoff" with the United States, Russia is anything but isolated. With leaders of China, India, Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Iran and several other countries in attendance, together representing roughly half of the world's population, Putin will be able to project an image of Russia joining the global "new wave" of non-Western countries raising their profile and expanding their role in the world.

This is a sea change for Russia's foreign policy. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia has had two strategies, one official and the other held in reserve. The official strategy was aimed at integrating Russia, on its own terms, into the Euro-Atlantic community, i.e. expanded West. The G8 membership symbolized that. The other was to integrate former Soviet republics into a full-fledged Eurasian Union: an economic, political, and security alliance, a Moscow-led power center in Eurasia.

For full article please click here.

Russia's Performance at the Munich Security Conference: A Symptom or a Cause?

10 Feb, 2015, No comments

by Alexander Gabuev, Carnegie Russia

Russia's performance at the recent Munich Security Conference (MSC), which culminated in Sergey Lavrov's speech and the Western reaction to it, was accurately described by my Carnegie colleague Judy Dempsey as a "depressing and dangerous dialogue of the deaf." Lavrov and later Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Russian Federation Council's committee on foreign affairs, didn't make any real attempt to reach out to the audience using language and arguments that could have made the Munich crowd understand Moscow's stance on Ukraine and lay the foundations for dialogue. Read full article here.

A "Soft Alliance"? Russia-China Relations After the Ukraine Crisis

10 Feb, 2015, No comments

by Alexander Gabuev, Carnegie Russia

In "A ‘Soft Alliance'? Russia-China Relations After the Ukraine Crisis," Alexander Gabuev discusses how Putin sees in its Asian pivot a way to strengthen the most vulnerable parts of its economy: dependence on the European energy market, dependence on Western capital markets, and dependence on technologies. Full article is here.

Abraham's Tent for Europe

1 Feb, 2015, No comments

by Jānis Urbanovičs, INSOR's Analytical Bulletin

With all the illusions of a «veritable European» the «national state» concept as a pure monoethnical system has already become out of date for about seven decades. The acknowledgement of common values does not mean to yield to a «strange» culture, but rather provides a basis for true public integration and multiculturalism. It's very painful for Europeans to accept a necessity of forming a Christian-Islamic moral platform. The desire to keep the right for haughtiness intact is fraught with more harm and problems. Read more

The Limits of Cooperation Among BRICS Countries

1 Dec, 2014, No comments

by Zhao Kejin

The emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-the BRICS-have been touted as the leaders of the developing world. In their most significant joint accomplishment to date, the BRICS countries are building a New Development Bank (NDB) and a Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) as alternatives to the global financial system dominated by the West. But what do these initiatives signal about members' intentions? Read more.

How to survive in a sanitary cordon?

20 Oct, 2014, No comments

by Jānis Urbanovičs

During the last election campaign for the Latvian parliament (Saeima), geopolitical risks were a never ending and colourful topic. For parties in the ruling coalition, threatening rhetoric has become a kind of Munchhausen's pigtail, which can be used to pull themselves out of a bog. The elections passed and peace has come instead of shockers intended for voters, it is time to distribute portfolios and sew dinner jackets for Latvia's presidency in the EU. Yet geopolitical processes are in full swing, causing Latvia problems which nobody thought about before. Read more

Reflections about the crisis in Ukraine

20 Aug, 2014, No comments

by Jānis Urbanovičs

How should the crisis in Ukraine be treated? What are the motives and future plans of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin? What are the scenarios of development of the crisis? What should be the rational action of Latvia and the EU in order to find a way out of the impasse of the crisis in Ukraine? My reflections are not an attempt to impose a single truth, but rather an invitation to a discussion without bias in order to evaluate both the causes and the possible solutions of the crisis. Read more

Europe and its neighbours. A round-up of EU foreign & neighbourhood policy

10 Jun, 2014, No comments

By Hannes Swoboda

The following brief and deliberately selective report is based on my experiences on issues of the wider European neighbourhood, in the framework of my work in the European Parliament since 1996. In my functions as rapporteur for Croatia and for Russia, as member of different interparliamentary committees (South East Europe, Ukraine and South Caucasus and Central Asia) and after many visits to most of the countries of the Mashreq and Maghreb (as well as Iran), I had the privilege to gain both information and experience. My views were complemented by countless discussions with a variety of interlocutors when I was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, and as Vice-President and subsequently President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament in Brussels and in Strasbourg. My basic conclusion is that Europe cannot and must not choose between strengthening its internal structure and developing a strong and noticeable Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Full text is here.

Globalization, Structural Crisis, and World Leadership. Myths and Reality

2 Feb, 2013, No comments

by N. Simonia, A. Torkunov

The book is devoted to the issues of crisis of capitalism and search for new social economic model of world development that have become relevant under the conditions of post-crisis recovery. The monograph focuses on practical topics of structural transformations in world capitalism, the real balance of power in world economy, nature of the global crisis, current stage of globalization processes as well as general theoretical aspects of development of the capitalist system. By defining basis and framework for rational, fruitful and constructive discussion on urgent problems of global development, the authors aim to answer the dramatic questions for Russian citizens: Where are we heading for? What strategy do we have for social development? Full book is here.

Beyond the EU: a European Commonwealth and a new world order

3 Mar, 2011, No comments

An interview with John Palmer, member of the governing board of the European Policy Centre in Brussels by Victor Makarov and Eldar Mamedov.

Speaking about Europe, John Palmer, member of the governing board of the European Policy Centre in Brussels and one of the most influential experts on the EU, makes no secret of his personal relationship with the European project. Perhaps because of his Irish and, in his young days, Trotskyist background, Palmer's initial reason for supporting the European integration was a "united socialist states of Europe" that would challenge the dominance of the nation states. While the socialist hope later gave way to the realization that there is no coherent alternative to a mainly market economy with a strong social and environmental dimension, Palmer remains a committed pro-integrationist with a vision that goes well beyond the limits of today's EU. Full interview is here.

Euro crisis: In defence of investors

17 Jan, 2011, No comments

by Simon Tilford

The eurozone's fiscal position is better than the US and UK, and the crisis-hit members of the currency union are doing more to strengthen their public finances than either of these countries. So why are borrowing costs so much higher for countries in the eurozone periphery than for Britain and America? Portugal and Greece have lower public deficits than the US, so why do investors fear for their solvency, but not that of the US? Full publication is here.

We can only go upwards

1 Jul, 2008, No comments

An interview with Fraser Cameron, Director of the EU-Russia Center, by Victor Makarov.

For the European Union there is no alternative but to work with Russia as it is, not trying to pretend it is something different. Full interview is here.