Latest Articles about Europe
A Fatwa and Defiance at the Madrid Conference
The three–day conference on terrorism that brought over 20 heads of government to Madrid on the anniversary of the March 11, 2004 train bombings by al-Qaeda that killed 191 people, excited some interest from the mujahideen. A statement attributed to Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, the "Media... MORE
European Counter-Terrorism Culture and Methodology
More than a year after the al-Qaeda linked bombings in Madrid, a general appraisal of counter-terrorism developments in Europe generally yields a worrying picture. Many analysts argue that the European Union has made little progress in coordinating and enforcing measures involving intelligence swapping and police... MORE
The Growing Threat of Islamic Militancy in Europe
Since the bomb-attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004, dozens of militant Islamic activists have been detained across Europe. At the same time, several active cells dealing in everything from propaganda to smuggling Islamic activists to Iraq have been broken up by various European police... MORE
BUSH SUPPORTIVE, EU A BYSTANDER ON BALTIC VERSUS SOVIET VISION OF HISTORY
On the eve of the Moscow celebrations of the Soviet victory in the Second World War, the Baltic states prepare to commemorate at home the event that sealed for them a half-century of captivity. The Kremlin expected to isolate the Baltic states by highlighting the... MORE
MORE PROBLEMS FOR YUSHCHENKO GOVERNMENT AS JUSTICE MINISTER CAUGHT EXAGGERATING HIS ACADEMIC RECORD
Two weeks after Ukrayinska pravda (April 14) published an expose on Roman Zvarych, the Minister of Justice finally admitted in the Ukrainian Weekly (May 1) that he did not have the academic credentials that he claimed. Zvarych admitted that he had misled the Ukrainian Weekly... MORE
BELARUS SUPREME COURT ORDERS CLOSURE OF NISEPI
In mid-April, the Supreme Court of Belarus ordered the closure of the Independent Institute of Social-Economic and Political Research. The institute's Russian-language acronym is NISEPI, though it is better known outside Belarus as NISEPS or IISEPS (Narodnaya volya, April 16). Its director, the respected sociologist... MORE
WILL TYMOSHENKO AND YUSHCHENKO ENTER ELECTIONS TOGETHER?
According to recent polls, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has greatly benefited from the Orange Revolution and the ensuing popular optimism. She and her Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc are very popular now, three months after she became prime minister and a year ahead of the next... MORE
BALTIC BORDER AGREEMENTS ON AGENDA FOR EU-RUSSIA SUMMIT
Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for relations with the European Union, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, warned on April 28 that Russia would not consent after all to sign the Border Agreement with Latvia on May 10 in Moscow. As an excuse, Yastrzhembsky cited the Latvian government's... MORE
MOSCOW STONEWALLING ON BORDER AGREEMENTS WITH LATVIA, ESTONIA
While Latvia and Estonia push for closure, the Russian side is raising the ante ahead of the EU-Russia summit, calculating to use this issue as leverage to extract Latvian concessions on other issues, such as changing Latvia's legislation on citizenship and language. As the summit... MORE
UKRAINE MOVES CLOSER TO NATO MEMBERSHIP
At the April 20-21 summit of NATO foreign ministers in Vilnius, Ukraine was invited to begin an Intensified Dialogue on Membership. The Intensified Dialogue is commonly viewed as the precursor to being invited to enter the Membership Action Plan (MAP) process, a stage that is... MORE