The European Council on Foreign Relations

Preventing the next generation of Kosovos

2010-08-03T14:13:13+00:00

At a time of constrained budgets, getting the EU to invest more in conflict prevention and human rights protection in faraway places like Sudan and Kyrgyzstan may be a hard sell. But, as Richard Gowan argues, the alternative is another generation of Kosovos.

Kosovo: statehood isn�t the problem

2010-07-22T08:57:30+00:00

In its advisory opinion of 22 July 2010, the International Court of Justice said that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008 "did not violate general international law". But is statehood the real question hanging over Kosovo? Richard Gowan believes that corruption, rather than statehood, is the biggest issue facing Kosovo.

The BRIC bloc

2010-07-07T08:57:19+00:00

The Political West (the US, Europe and Japan) are in the doldrums while the BRICs keep growing. A third of world economic growth in the last decade has taken place in BRIC countries. So far, so good for the BRICs. But what next?

Kyrgyzstan: Russia�s Rwanda

2010-06-18T08:56:39+00:00

Just as France maintained links with its former colonies in Central Africa, Moscow has maintained ties with the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia. In light of the recent violence in its backyard nation of Kyrgyzstan, what lessons can Russia learn from France�s experience in Central Africa?

The Rostov summit

2010-05-28T09:58:55+00:00

Russian and EU leaders will gather in Rostov-on-Don for their bi-annual summit on 31 May � 1 June. The geographical symbolism is not good: Rostov is only a few kilometres from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The political mood leading up to the summit seems a little better.

Western Balkans: The way out of the EU�s waiting room

2010-05-26T11:32:29+00:00

Pre-occupied with its financial troubles, the EU is no longer paying attention to the Western Balkans. As a result it is losing credibility and influence in a region that may slide back towards instability.

AndyIHT

2010-05-21T09:12:25+00:00

The Ukrainian pendulum is swinging in the direction of Moscow. This is not necessarily just because of gas or economics. It could also be because Kiev feels Russia is a better long-term bet than the West, and that should be worrying a lot of people.

The Polish-Russian rapprochement gathers steam

2010-05-08T15:31:23+00:00

The tragic plane crash in Smolensk has brought Russia and Poland closer together. Emotions aside, what do they both want to gain from the rapprochement?

What are the Ukrainians playing at?

2010-04-30T17:06:47+00:00

Eggs, smoke bombs and the Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine is back to playing the game it knows best: the balancing act between East and West.

World War II finally ends

2010-04-30T11:43:23+00:00

The tragedy of the Polish air crash has formed a new bond between Poland and Russia. But will they be able to do in the east what France and Germany have done in the west?

WilsonSmolensk

2010-04-23T11:38:31+00:00

The tragedy of the Smolensk plane crash has led to a strengthening of the rapprochement between Moscow and Warsaw. But is the reconciliation built upon more than a hug between Vladimir Putin and Donald Tusk?

The EU�s �slow food� enlargement

2010-04-14T16:29:40+00:00

The EU enlargement debate used to be about expanding freedoms and preventing conflict. But a lot of Europeans now think that whatever lies outside the EU�s borders can stay there.

Korskisoftpowerhardstates

2010-03-22T10:24:20+00:00

It’s tempting to think that hard states like China and Russia cannot offer anything in terms of soft power. But Europe and the US need to understand that this viewpoint is no longer valid

AndrewWilsonYanukovychNixon

2010-03-19T09:59:05+00:00

President Yanukovych could be a �Ukrainian Nixon’: Just as Nixon used his anti-communist credentials to pave his engagement with China, Yanukovych could use his pro-Russian credentials to reassure Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population while reaching out to Europe

Dealing with Yanukovych�s Ukraine: a policy brief

2010-03-18T06:48:44+00:00

The Yanukovych Paradox � How the new Ukrainian president can be good news for Europe.

KorskiBosniaThirdOption

2010-03-08T15:48:20+00:00

Debate over how to help a crisis-striken Bosnia ranges from involvement to encouragement. But a third, unpalatable option for a frustrated EU may lurk just behind the scenes: abandonment

KorskiAshtonBalkans

2010-02-19T16:54:16+00:00

Catherine Ashton visits the Western Balkans in her first official foreign trip, and is again roundly criticised. But this troubled region could do with her attention

Ukraine decides President yanukovych

2010-02-11T16:12:26+00:00

Leave Tymoshenko aside for now; it’s time to start asking what a Yanukovych presidency means for Ukraine. Andrew Wilson puts the key questions in politics, energy, defence and the media

ukrainetymochallenge

2010-02-10T09:34:11+00:00

Not giving up, but not storming the barricades: all eyes remain on Tymoshenko’s next move

UlrikeMunichconference

2010-02-09T15:54:39+00:00

The Munich Security Conference was once again at the centre of foreign policy discussion, but Europe was an intellectual absentee

ukraine decides the dust settles

2010-02-09T10:30:45+00:00

Yuliya Tymoshenko can hear the doors closing on her presidential bid, but Andrew Wilson doesn’t think that means the Ukrainian elections have a final outcome just yet

Georgieva’s tasks

2010-02-08T17:12:25+00:00

The European Parliament votes on the new EU Commission on Tuesday. But for the replacement for the original Bulgarian Commissioner the vote is a minor hurdle compared to the tasks of the next five years

ukraine decides second round after the vote

2010-02-08T09:50:51+00:00

With most of the votes counted, Viktor Yanukovych has a narrow but solid lead. Can Yuliya Tymoshenko find grounds to challenge the results?

ukraine decides round two part four

2010-02-07T19:29:39+00:00

Viktor Yanukovych is ahead in exit polls after the first Ukrainian presidential election since the Orange Revolution. In his election blog, Andrew Wilson casts his eyes over the first figures

ukraine decides round two part three

2010-02-05T19:22:03+00:00

On Sunday 7 February Yuliya Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych go head to head in the second round of Ukraine’s presidential elections, the first since 2004’s Orange Revolution. Andrew Wilson looks at how the temperature is being turned up

ukraine decides secondround part 2

2010-02-04T16:10:02+00:00

On Sunday 7 February Yuliya Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych go head to head in the second round of Ukraine’s presidential elections, the first since 2004’s Orange Revolution. In the second installment of his election blog, Andrew Wilson looks at the front-runner, Yanukovych

ukraine decides second round andrew wilson blog

2010-02-04T07:19:32+00:00

Ukraine decides part six

2010-01-22T12:52:02+00:00

The dust has settled on the first round of voting in the Ukrainian presidential elections. Andrew Wilson tries to make sense of the results

ukraine decides part five

2010-01-18T12:04:22+00:00

The first results are coming in after Ukraine’s presidential elections on Sunday. Andrew Wilson looks at what these first figures mean

ukraine decides part four

2010-01-18T09:33:27+00:00

On Sunday 17 January Ukraine held its first presidential elections since the 2004 Orange Revolution. In the third installment of his blog, Andrew Wilson gives his immediate reaction to the day of voting