Author's articles
Commentary
23. Feb, 2016
Surkov and Gryzlov: Russia’s New Negotiators on Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently appointed Vladislav Surkov and Boris Gryzlov to negotiate—in two separate formats—an outcome to Russia’s…
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Commentary
17. Feb, 2016
Munich Security Conference Debates Russia’s War in Ukraine
Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian territories, and its continuing military operations in Ukraine’s east, receded from center stage at the Munich…
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Commentary
05. Feb, 2016
Russia Watches and Puts Own Spin on Moldova’s Crisis
Many international observers anticipated that Russia would move to exploit the anti-government protests in Moldova in order to (as the…
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Commentary
29. Jan, 2016
Moldovan Anti-Government Protests Unify Pro-Western, Pro-Russia Groups Across Ethnic Lines
From January 20 through 24, tens of thousands of angry protesters rallied in Chisinau each day in -10° C (14°…
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Commentary
21. Jan, 2016
Regime Change in Moldova: Accomplished but Not Irreversible
On January 20, the Moldovan parliament approved the new government amid violent protests outside the building and opposition protests in…
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Commentary
15. Jan, 2016
Moldova: President Versus Plutocrat
Moldova’s presidency remains the last institutional obstacle to a full takeover of power by the country’s wealthiest businessman, Vladimir Plahotniuc,…
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Commentary
14. Jan, 2016
Plahotniuc Reshuffles Moldova’s Parliament, Claims Prime Minister’s Post
Moldova’s wealthiest businessman and shadowy politician, Vladimir Plahotniuc, finally stepped into the limelight on January 13 and announced his candidacy…
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Commentary
12. Jan, 2016
Plahotniuc’s Power Base in Moldova: Allies and Instruments
The political influence of billionaire businessman Vladimir Plahotniuc expanded seemingly unstoppably in Moldova’s state institutions and political system during the…
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Commentary
11. Jan, 2016
Moldova Ungoverned, Close to State Failure
Literally in the final days of 2015, a new political constellation has emerged on the center-right of Moldova’s party spectrum…
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Commentary
10. Dec, 2015
The End of Russia’s ‘International Isolation’: Potential Implications for Ukraine
The Islamist terrorist assault in Paris on November 13, traced in part to the Syria crisis, has conclusively broken what…
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Commentary
10. Dec, 2015
Russia’s Intervention in Syria: Potential Implications for Ukraine
Russia is angling for recognition as the West’s ally in combating “international terrorism.” This, ostensibly, is the rationale of Russia’s…
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Commentary
19. Oct, 2015
Moldovan Billionaire Plahotniuc Gaining More Political Power
In a country as bereft of leadership talent as Moldova turned out to be, Liberal-Democrat Party leader Vlad Filat’s resignation…
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Commentary
21. Sep, 2015
Nord Stream Two in Ukrainian Perspective
At Russia’s initiative, the Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline project has advanced from agreements of intent to a binding…
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Commentary
17. Sep, 2015
Nord Stream Two: The Project’s Implications in Europe
Russia, Germany and a consortium of Western European companies have re-activated the Gazprom-led Nord Stream Two gas pipeline project. Parallel…
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Commentary
14. Sep, 2015
Nord Stream Expansion Agreed, Wintershall Swapped to Gazprom
Germany is leading Western Europe’s return to business as usual with Russia in the natural gas sector, notwithstanding Russia’s war…
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Commentary
09. Sep, 2015
Toppling Moldova’s Government: Popular Movement or Political Operation?
Since September 6, protesters have set up a tent city—it has grown to at least 150 tents to date—in Chisinau’s…
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Commentary
03. Sep, 2015
Action Plan to End War in Ukraine Charted at Berlin Meeting
An overall consensus, in broad outline, seems to have taken shape among the main European players, pre-eminently Moscow and Berlin,…
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Commentary
02. Sep, 2015
Putin Absent, His Agenda Dominates at Normandy Group Meeting on Ukraine
German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and French President François Hollande, on August 24, in Berlin (“Normandy”…
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Commentary
14. Aug, 2015
Shyrokyne ‘Demilitarized Zone’: Russia’s New Idea of Conflict-Management in Ukraine’s East
Russia proposes to turn the Ukrainian stronghold Shyrokyne, key to defending the strategic Azov sea port city of Mariupol (Mariupil),…
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Commentary
07. Aug, 2015
Ukraine Is Asked to Provide Legal Cover for Donetsk-Luhansk ‘Elections’
Moscow is prepared to orchestrate local elections in the “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk (“DPR, LPR”), separately from Ukraine’s…
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Commentary
24. Jul, 2015
Obama Administration Undercutting Ukraine’s Position in the Minsk Armistice Negotiations
Urged by US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in Kyiv last week, Ukraine took a first step toward legalizing…
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Commentary
17. Jul, 2015
Berlin, Paris Seek Constitutional Status for Donetsk-Luhansk in Ukraine
Twice in recent days (July 10 and 14), German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande have jointly demarched…
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Commentary
18. Jun, 2015
Bringing Belarus Back in From the Cold
At the European Union’s Eastern Partnership summit in Riga (May 21–22), the EU’s neighborhood and enlargement policies came to a…
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Commentary
27. May, 2015
Donetsk, Luhansk ‘People’s Republics’ Seek International Legitimization Through Local Elections
The possible international recognition of “elections” staged in the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” (“DPR, LPR”) is one of the…
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Commentary
19. May, 2015
Minsk Armistice in Ukraine Advances to Political Phase
Moscow, Berlin, some other Western European capitals, and most recently, US Secretary of State John Kerry are growing eager to…
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Commentary
17. Mar, 2015
Ukraine in a Leaderless Europe: A Net Assessment
Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed the deepening cracks in Europe’s understanding of itself as the West’s core, and in…
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Commentary
06. Mar, 2015
Moldova’s New Government: Daunting Challenges Ahead
Moldova has a new government, the Alliance for a European Moldova (AEM), since February 28, after elections and an agitated…
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Commentary
23. Feb, 2015
Russia Writes, US Approves UN Security Council Resolution on Ukraine
On February 18–19, Ukraine decided to request the United Nations Security Council to authorize a peacekeeping contingent or police mission…
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