Europe & Eurasia

Nordic Alliance: Mini-NATO or Polar Fog?

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  Proposals for the five Nordic countries to create a mini-Nato alliance are "dreams in Polar fog" but may be useful for "keeping an eye on Polar bears and Russians", according to the former US ambassador to Norway, Benson Whitney.

Executive Suspended for Criticizing E.U. Satellite

By Kevin J. O'Brien, the New York Times

From Kevin J. O’Brien, the New York Times:  The chief executive of the largest satellite company in Germany was suspended on Tuesday for telling American diplomats that the Galileo satellite project in Europe was redundant, cost-inefficient and designed to benefit French business interests, according to cables published by WikiLeaks.

Ukraine and Russia Negotiating “Gas for Fleet” Agreement

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The Russian and Ukrainian finance ministries will draw up a draft agreement within two months on the extension terms of the lease of the Sevastopol port to Russia, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said on Tuesday. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement to extend the […]

PM Erdogan: Turkey will not “wait at the EU’s door like a docile supplicant”

By Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Newsweek

China’s buying spree raises hope, and fear in Europe

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist:  On his tour of Europe this month, China’s vice-premier, Li Keqiang, announced his country’s plan to buy cheap European government bonds, as Chinese companies purchased shares in European petrochemical ventures, tens of thousands of cars and even a few million euros’ worth of Spanish wine and ham to top off the […]

Bulgarian lawmakers push to have 35 ambassadors with KGB past fired

By RIA Novosti

Is Germany Out Growing the Franco-German Partnership?

By Steven Erlanger, the New York Times

From Steven Erlanger, the New York Times:  While the agonies of the European Union — sovereign defaults, deficits and bubbles — unfold like a great wonk drama, at their core is something more intimate: the fractured tale of Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy.

NATO’s Existential Question

By  Rabah Ghezali, the Huffington Post 

From Rabah Ghezali, the Huffington Post :  The conventional wisdom at the end of the Cold War was that NATO needed to find an appropriate common threat to replace the former Soviet Union.

Making Europe Count in the Caspian

By Borut Grgic

After a along period of political neglect the EU is finally responding to its critics by sending the President of the EU Commission, Mr. Barroso on a Caspian tour. The choice of countries is especially important – Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Clearly, energy is at the forefront of Mr. Barroso’s agenda. European Union is expecting to […]