Politics & Diplomacy

Viktor Orbán’s Hungarian power grab

By Editorial Board of the Washington Post

From Editorial Board of the Washington Post:  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán triggered alarm bells around Europe in 2011 when he used a two-thirds majority in parliament to push through a series of measures that concentrated political power, weakened checks and balances and restricted the freedom of the media, religious groups and minorities.

A Roadmap for Negotiating with Iran

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

It is still early in the second term of the Obama administration, and as with the beginning of all presidential terms, hope springs eternal in political circles that longstanding obstacles to policy progress will be swept away. In that spirit, a host of commentators are calling for the United States and Iran to make a […]

The transatlantic community needs a common vision

By Isabelle Francois, New Atlanticist

From Isabelle Francois, New Atlanticist:  Eminent American strategic thinkers indeed consider that their country is at a crucial juncture of human history and have advised the Obama administration to seize the opportunity towards collaborative partnerships with its most stalwart allies in Europe

China’s growing interest in Iceland and the Arctic

By Einar Benediktsson and Thomas R. Pickering, New York Times

From Einar Benediktsson and Thomas R. Pickering, New York Times:  According to a 2008 estimate by the U.S. Geological Survey, 13 percent of all the unexploited oil, 30 percent of natural gas and 20 percent of the natural gas liquid resources are located under the seabed of the Arctic.

Syria: Between Sarajevo and Baghdad

By Julian Lindley-French

Thucydides, the great-great grandfather of unforgiving International Relations, once said, “The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept”.  British Foreign Secretary Hague’s announcement last week in Parliament that Britain will send armored vehicles and bullet-proof vests to support the Syrian National Coalition came just at the moment when […]

Britain to train Syrian rebels

By James Blitz and Joshua Chaffin, Financial Times

From James Blitz and Joshua Chaffin, Financial Times:  Britain announced on Wednesday that it would train Syrian rebels in the tactics they must use to hold territory seized from the Assad regime

Moldova’s Pro-Western Government Falls

By Andrew Roth, New York Times

From Andrew Roth, New York Times:  The pro-Western government of Moldova fell on Tuesday when Parliament passed a no-confidence motion

Y2K Sequester?

By Harlan Ullman

As of last Friday, the inability or intransigence of U.S. President Barack Obama and Republicans in the House of Representatives to reach a budget agreement triggered the much publicized sequester.

Russia invites US military chief to missile defense talks

By RIA Novosti