Eastern Europe

Georgia in the West Report Launch

By James Joyner

On October 13, the Atlantic Council and Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham launched a new Council report, Georgia in the West: A Policy Road Map to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic Future.

From Podgorica to Brussels: Montenegro on the Road to Europe

By Adrienne Chuck

On October 11, 2011, the Transatlantic Relations Program hosted a discussion with Montenegro’s Prime Minister, Igor Lukšić. Prime Minister Lukšić is steering Montenegro’s steady course toward Euro-Atlantic integration, making NATO and European Union (EU) membership a top priority for his administration. Montenegro became an EU candidate in 2010, and it is currently the only country […]

Hungary’s Human Rights Agenda: Advancing Minority and Human Rights In Central Europe

By Adrienne Chuck

On September 27, Rita Izsák, head of the newly established Budapest-based Tom Lantos Institute and István Gyarmati, CEO of the International Center for Democratic Transition spoke at the Atlantic Council to a room full of human rights experts about the Lantos Institute’s vision and future projects, including its work on Roma issues.

Strategy Session on Southeast Europe with Eric Rubin

By Jason Harmala

On September 14, the Atlantic Council held an off-the-record strategy session for Eric Rubin, the new US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs responsible for American relations with Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and the three Caucasus countries.

Belarus: Power Failure Again

By Boyko Nitzov

For many years now, the West has dealt with Belarus in a way that implies that using carrots will eventually eliminate the need for sticks. It is time to abandon this false hope and deal with the reality of a failed dictatorial regime. By virtue of a treaty which Belarus and Russia signed and ratified […]

Russia and Georgia to Reopen Border Crossing

By James Joyner

Georgia and Russia have agreed to re-open a key artery closed since 2006, another sign that Moscow would like to repair relations with its former satellite.

Completing Europe

By Damon Wilson

In the wake of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, “Europe whole, free and at peace” was not just a vision; it was a successful policy leading to the consolidation of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and the integration of the region into Europe’s great institutions. This outcome was neither easy nor obvious.

The Russia-Georgia Conflict: An Invasion by Any Other Name

By David Smith

The long awaited European Union-commissioned report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia was published last week.  Unsurprisingly, it largely corroborates Georgian accounts of Russia’s August 2008 invasion while blaming Georgia for sparking the conflict.

BSEEF: Opening Remarks (Transcript)

Back to Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum 2009 Speakers: Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council Ambassador Mikail Eriksson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden (Speaking on behalf of Carl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Former Prime Minister, Sweden) Doru Costea, State Secretary for Global Affairs, Ministry of […]

EU: Georgia ‘Triggered’ Russia’s Illegal Invasion

By James Joyner

As widely anticipated, an EU report on last year’s Russian invasion of Georgia finds plenty of blame to go around, finding that Tblisi “triggered” the conflict but that Moscow violated international law by its invasion and with numerous atrocities thereafter.