Latest Articles about Europe
THE LAUNCHING OF A PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT IN BELARUS
On July 3, Belarus officially commemorated Independence Day, and the month also marks the 17th anniversary of the declaration of sovereignty in the late Soviet era. In contrast to previous years, the authorities are now offering a new form of patriotism: the promotion of national... MORE
Catalonia: Europe’s New Center of Global Jihad
The strengthening of Islamist groups, combined with an increase in jihadi networks and activities in and around Barcelona, underscores Catalonia's status as a European center for al-Qaeda-associated terrorism operations. Statements by al-Qaeda leaders that emphasize Spain's unique "status" within the Global Salafi-Jihad, coupled with recently... MORE
UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SLASHES EXPENSES WITH EYE TOWARD NATO
When the USSR collapsed in 1991, both Russia and Ukraine claimed the Black Sea Fleet and the historic port of Sevastopol with Ukraine. Eventually an agreement was reached to divide the hardware and allow Russia to lease the port. Ukraine opted to offload much of... MORE
NEW POLITICAL ALLIANCES EMERGE IN UKRAINE
As Ukraine prepares for the September 30 parliamentary elections, the balance of power among political forces is markedly shifting. The pre-democratic “Orange” camp is reconfiguring while the long-dominant Dnipropetrovsk camp is dwindling in influence. On Thursday, June 28, President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine party, headed... MORE
DID YUSHCHENKO BORROWS KUCHMA’S IDEAS FOR CONSTITUTION?
The Ukrainian constitution will most certainly be changed after the snap parliamentary election scheduled for September 30, no matter who wins the vote. Both President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych admit that the constitutional reform of 2004-2006, which increased the power of parliament... MORE
Turkey’s Evolving Anti-Terrorism Measures on the Iraqi Border
Along the Turkish-Iraqi border, the struggle between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants is escalating. The Turkish press has released testimonies from captured Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants who claim to have witnessed U.S. armored vehicles supplying weapons to a PKK base on Mount Qandil... MORE
Taliban Graduation Ceremony Demonstrates Change of Tactics
Earlier this month, a Pakistani journalist filmed a Taliban "graduation ceremony" for would-be Western suicide bombers. The video, which can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwwiGXIhnKo, shows a "graduating class of suicide bombers" ready to travel to the United States and Western Europe to carry out suicide... MORE
RUSSIA HINTS AT LIMITED RETURN OF GEORGIAN AND MOLDOVAN WINES TO ITS MARKET
Georgian Wine Producers’ Union head Levan Koberidze has announced the start of preliminary consultations with Russia on the expert level about a possible reopening of the Russian market for Georgian wines. The Georgian producers’ organization seeks to broaden the consultations by reaching out to all... MORE
IS MOLDOVA’S PRESIDENT DROPPING THE EUROPEAN BANNER?
President Vladimir Voronin gathered the chiefs of diplomatic missions accredited in Moldova on June 28 for a briefing on his recent and upcoming negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Moldpres, June 28). Stung by criticism of his non-transparent meetings with Putin and back-channel negotiations with... MORE
ESTONIAN PRESIDENT’S U.S. VISIT REFLECTS A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
U.S. President George W. Bush received Estonian President Toomas Ilves for a two-hour meeting at the White House on June 25, a high point of Ilves’ June 24-27 visit to the United States. Bush had paid a visit to Estonia as recently as November 2006,... MORE