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Latvia and history: Europe View 175
Europe.viewHarmony in RigaFor once, the anniversary of a wartime battle in Latvia should pass off peacefullyMar 11th 2010 | From The Economist onlineTHAT March follows February is not a state secret, but it sometimes seems to come as a surprise...
what's happened to axisglobe?
For several years I have been reading with enjoyment and some puzzlement a site called www.axisglobe.com/ It is a rum mixture of assiduously collected press cuttings and spin, mainly to do with the activities of security and intelligence services in...
Latvian SS commemoration
Has anyone else noticed how quiet the Kremlin propaganda machine has become as the March 16th anniversary approaches. I am writing on this for my online column this week but I have just come across this remarkable (to me) commentary on the normally v...
Why not extend and reverse Nabucco?
This just in from London-based Polish gas expert Greg PytelGreg PytelExtended and reversible Nabucco – competitive and secure natural gas market for Europe There has been an ongoing debate about constructing Nabucco pipeline: a pipeline designed to...
Germany's Lostpolitik
Constanze Stelzenmueller writes an interesting and thoughtful piece about German security and foreign policy here. She wants Germany to be less neurotic, less stingy and more decisive--with a new national security commission (ie council) to run thin...
New anti-Putin site
As attention on the Sochi Olympics grows, so do the critics' efforts, like this.
Applebaum-Sikorski
Long profile of Poland's power couple here in Polish Newsweek...
Russia latest--from ex-ambassador Sir Andrew Wood
Sir Andrew Wood was one of the most able ambassadors Britain has sent to Moscow. Here are ten punchy points about the current political outlook. Well worth a look...
Political writing at its best
Most politicians today talk like robots (I've just been watching Gordon Brown at the Chilcott inquiry) and when they write it's even worse. Even Barack Obama's "rhetoric" is more about delivery than real literary style. So (thanks Guistino) here is...
Katyn update
The Kremlin is gradually sorting out (or at least defusing) its historical rows with the ex-captive nations. First it was Putin's visit to Hungary on the anniversary of '56 (see this report). Then it was Prague for 40 years after the 1968 invasion se...
Molotov/Polonsky
The bloody age of Vyacheslav MolotovBullying bibliophileMar 4th 2010From The Economist print editionStalin’s violent henchman and his library may have inspired a modern classicMolotov’s Magic Lantern: A Journey in Russian History. By Rachel Polon...
Europe view 174
Europe.viewStruggles, suffering and SkypeEastern Europeans should strive to present a more modern face to visitorsFeb 3rd 2010 | From The Economist onlineIMAGINE that you are attending a conference (call it Agenda 2010) in the capital city (call it K...
Estonia and defence spending
Why does Estonia spend so much more on defence than Latvia and Lithuania? And is it a good idea? Cynics say that Estonia can't be credible in defence if the other Baltic two have in effect given up. Estonia should stop bothering with even vestigial t...
New Ukrainian column
I have started a regular column for the excellent Ukrainian weekly Tyzhden. Here is the first one (with a link here to the Ukrainian version)“Dokumenty pazhaluista”(What can Europe do to help Ukraine? And what can Ukraine do to help itself?)Given...
Budapest energy summit
I spent a happy few days in Budapest last week, watching the central European countries (belatedly) getting their act together on energy. Today they followed up with a new push on the eastern Partnership. I will be writing about that in the Economist...
Russian military
Amid all the worries about the Mistral sale (now four, and with a gas deal thrown in) it is worth bearing in mind how weak the Russian military actually is. This presentation of the impending collapse of the "wpk" (military-industrial complex) by Jul...
Therapeutic historiography, (Europe view 173)
The end of history, revisitedFeb 25th 2010 From Economist.comThe ex-communist states of eastern Europe are leaving their pasts behindWHERE would they be without their past, the ex-captive nations? (Or "ex-communist countries", "former Soviet satellit...
Latvia and Greece
Latvia and GreeceBaltic thaw, Aegean freezeFeb 25th 2010 | RIGAFrom The Economist print editionLatvia’s economic free fall has halted, and it may now do better than GreeceDOOM-MONGERS are licking their wounds. For two years bankers have said that a...
Libel latest
Media and the lawPublish, perish, protestFeb 25th 2010From The Economist print editionBad news for dodgy journalism—and for libel touristsLIBEL law in England is too expensive and restricts free speech. But journalistic dirty tricks are a disgrace...
