Belarus
Belarus' Aleksander Lukashenko, European chess master
March 04, 2010By Pavol Demeš When Aleksander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of Belarus, began a recent campaign to intimidate and punish members of the country’s disobedient Polish community, he opened a new front not only with neighboring...
‘Russian mafia’ abroad now numbers 300,000
March 01, 2010By Paul Goble After avoiding any use of the term “Russian mafia” in the last few years, law enforcement personnel in Europe and elsewhere are now speaking about it again, noting that it includes “up to 300,000 people” and dominates...
The UK Spectator: Let us help plucky Moldova
March 01, 2010The Spectator, a well-known British weekly, published an editorial by Daniel Korski bout Moldova in its Saturday issue. The article is called "Let us help plucky Moldova" and urges the European Union to take a more pro-active approach in helping...
Belarusian police detain dozens at Valentine's Day rally
February 15, 2010Belarusian police dispersed a St. Valentine's Day gathering in Minsk and detained some 30 young political activists, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. The activists, mainly members of the Youth Front movement, were released by police after about two...
In the land of Yanukovych's forefathers: Yanuki in Belarus
February 09, 2010By Branislava Stankevich in Yanuki and Naira Bulghadaryan in Spitak The residents of one Belarusian village were particularly interested in the results of the Ukrainian election. The tiny village of Yanuki, in northern Belarus, has no post office...
Khatuna Mshvidobadze: Don't sell Russia French Mistrals
December 08, 2009By Khatuna Mshvidobadze French Ships Could Mean Geopolitical Disaster Some in the French government want to sell Mistral-class ships to Russia, and the decrepit Russian Navy is eager to buy. But such advanced land attack capabilities in Russian...
EU's Eastern Partnership stuck in low gear
December 08, 2009By Ahto Lobjakas The EU's Eastern Partnership was launched with great fanfare in Prague in May. But just past the eight-month mark, it is becoming clear that neither the EU nor the six partnership members have high hopes for the grouping. EU documents...
Moldova keeps fighting for attention
November 11, 2009By Vlad Spânu The Republic of Moldova surprised many in April when youths took control of Chisinau’s main square, Piata Marii Adunari Nationale (or "PMAN", which became one of the most "wanted" words on Twitter during...
Biden Urges Central Europe To Help Guide Fledgling Democracies
October 23, 2009It was the key speech of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's tour to three Central and Eastern European countries this week. Speaking at the University of Bucharest’s Central Library, which was heavily damaged by fire during Romania's anticommunist...
Russian Military Planners Thinking About a Post-CIS Eurasia
October 21, 2009By Paul Goble In the clearest indication yet that senior officials in Moscow are worried about what will happen if, as seems likely, the Commonwealth of Independent States dissolves, an article in the journal of the Russian military-industrial...