Latest Articles about Europe
UKRAINE DIVIDED ON RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA
The official Ukrainian response to Russia’s recognition of the independence of Georgia’s two breakaway provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, on August 25, 2008, was not unexpected. The Ukrainian foreign ministry issued a statement on August 26 which noted: “The declaration by the Russian parliament is... MORE
KYIV ON GEORGIA: DIPLOMACY AWKWARD, PARTIES DIVIDED
Kyiv was among the first capitals to define its stance clearly in the early stages of the conflict in South Ossetia. Deputy Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Yeliseyev was the first high-ranking foreign official to arrive in Georgia on a peacemaking mission. While the West was slow... MORE
Technological Innovation and the Turkish Armed Forces’ War on the PKK
How does the introduction of new technologies affect the search for alternatives in counter-terrorism operations? To answer this question, we examine the changing characteristics of terror attacks carried out by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) since 2004 and the means employed by the Turkish Armed... MORE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES STRONG SUPPORT FOR GEORGIA
Ukraine’s president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which comes under his jurisdiction, have reacted sharply to the Georgian-Russian conflict. President Viktor Yushchenko has close personal relations with President Mikhail Saakashvili with whom he is direct contact on a daily basis (www.president.gov.ua, August 9). The... MORE
PKK Tactics May Reveal Damage Caused by Turkish Military Campaign
The fighting between Turkish security forces and the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has intensified in recent months. Turkish air raids on the PKK camps in northern Iraq have resumed since mid-July. Between July 10 to July 16, 36 PKK members were killed, and there were... MORE
UKRAINE AND THE CONFLICT IN SOUTH OSSETIA
In the morning of August 10, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed its Russian counterpart that in order to prevent Ukraine from being drawn into an armed conflict, Ukraine might take measures to prevent the Russian Black Sea Fleet (RBSF) vessels from returning to... MORE
AUSTRIA’S OMV GIVES UP HOSTILE TAKEOVER BATTLE AGAINST HUNGARY’S MOL
On August 6 the board of directors of Austria’s OMV energy conglomerate decided to abandon its hostile takeover attempt against the Hungarian counterpart MOL (OMV press release, August 6; Der Standard, August 7). The European Commission’s negative assessment of a possible takeover, as well as... MORE
Istanbul Bombings Suggest PKK Insurgency May Be Entering a More Ruthless Phase
The July bombings in Istanbul have raised concerns that the 24 year-old insurgency of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) may be entering a new, more ruthless phase. At around 9:45 PM on July 27, a percussion bomb exploded in a garbage can on Menderes Caddesi,... MORE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT OFFERS OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT TO VANCO
There is a new turn in the dispute over the right of the U.S. company Vanco to explore the oil and gas fields in the Ukrainian part of the Black Sea. The government of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has indicated its readiness to back down... MORE
LITTLE CHANCE FOR THE DISORGANIZED OPPOSITION IN BELARUS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Elections to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the two-chamber parliament, are to be held on September 28 in Belarus. As with previous election campaigns, there is intense international interest in the nature of the campaign, how democratically it will be conducted, and... MORE