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Democracy & Human Rights
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The ruling of the EU Court on “Golden passports” and the consequences in Tirana
“Whatever the European Court decides," and “If it says it can’t be done, we won’t do it; if it says it can, we will.”This...
The Negroni Diaries
False economy: Washington will regret closing important diplomatic posts
At this point many readers will have seen press reports indicating that a large number of American embassies and consulates are being studied for...
Italy
Farewell to Pope Francis, the last champion of the left
The first political consequence of the death of Pope Francis is for sure that the left side of Italy’s political spectrum has lost its...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Zeno’s Arrow and Albania’s membership in the EU
Recently, the position of the incoming German government coalition (government) between the CDU/CSU and SPD parties regarding the enlargement of the European Union into...
Democracy & Human Rights
U.S. sanctions officials for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy
The United States has imposed new sanctions on six Hong Kong and Chinese officials to punish China for the ongoing crackdown on democracy advocates...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Does the EU really stand for its basic values in the Balkans?
The visit of the EU Enlargement Commissioner Ms. Marta Kos to Albania on March 13-14 seems to have been another failed opportunity for the...
Germany
Despite slippage, Germany’s political center appears to hold
Germany’s February 23 parliamentary elections played out largely along predicted lines, with the main question on election day being how many parties would reach...
Civil Society
EU-Central Asia Civil Society Forum enhances regional cooperation, sustainable development
Almaty, the largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan, hosted the fifth EU-Central Asia Civil Society Forum on January 28-30, focusing on digital transformation,...
Electoral Procedures and Fraud
Righteous indignation over Maduro’s inauguration unlikely to change Venezuela’s dark reality
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela was sworn in on January 10 for his third six-year term. Promising that his third term would be one...
Interviews
Interview: The spirit of democracy is still alive in the minds of the Korean people
During the Stratcom Summit '24 in Istanbul (mid-December), South Korean Professor Giwoong Jung, based at Seoul's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, discussed his perspectives...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Resources for the Common Good: New Taxation in Times of Crisis
Do you wonder whether the world is crumbling before your eyes? If so, you are not alone. The global human rights map is alarming:...
Democracy & Human Rights
Biden administration takes final steps to counter global corruption and human rights abuses
Announcing a global grab-bag of new sanctions, possibly some of its last, the Biden administration took major steps on December 9 by authorizing new...
Democracy & Human Rights
Georgia’s political confrontation continues at low boil
It is difficult to find anyone other than current government officials from the “Georgian Dream” party that will claim the country’s October 26 Parliamentary...
The Negroni Diaries
Dear Democrats, about that Harris coronation last summer….
Back in July, we took exception to the decisions by the leadership of the Democratic Party to anoint Kamala Harris to take over President...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Maia Sandu’s slim win: Moldova struggles between Europe and tradition
The results of Moldova’s recent presidential elections and referendum are final. President Maia Sandu won a re-election bid, while a referendum to cement the...
Democracy & Human Rights
Georgia’s democratic election dream becomes a screamer
Georgia’s October 26 Parliamentary elections did not hold up as “free and fair” even under the lightest of scrutiny. Despite the presence of a...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Strategic Partnership or Strategic Risk? France’s Deepening Ties with Qatar
It has recently marked the half-year anniversary since France and Qatar announced a strategic partnership that will see the emirate invest €10 billion into...
Democracy & Human Rights
Georgian officials sanctioned for anti-democratic actions and human rights abuses
In the continuing wave of new sanctions announcements this month against actors who are seen as undermining democracy and abusing human rights, the Biden...
Interviews
Interview: Afghanistan military mission veteran lays out Hungarian EU Presidency goals
In 2008-2009, one of Hungary's most successful military missions took place in Bhaglan Province, Afghanistan. That mission was led by Zsolt Sándor, Hungary's current...
Democracy & Human Rights
Venezuela’s democratic opposition leader driven out, despite probable victory
The departure on September 7 former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez for exile in Spain likely marks the end of the latest opportunity...
Disinformation & Propaganda
Washington hits back at Russia’s covert influence activities aimed at 2024 U.S. elections
In a wide series of actions on September 4, the Biden administration froze Kremlin-run websites and charged two Russian state media employees in its...
Democracy & Human Rights
Kazakhstan’s Legislative Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking
Human trafficking remains a significant global issue, affecting millions of people around the world. According to recent data, there are an estimated 27.6 million...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
EU must strengthen financial protections for Hong Kong activists
Imagine leaving your homeland to escape tyranny, only to find the oppressive regime you fled can still reach you, manipulating your financial lifelines. This...
Democracy & Human Rights
Unified western response to Venezuela’s fraudulent election stymied
Street protests expanded on July 31 in Caracas, as thousands took action to demand that President Nicolas Maduro accept defeat in Venezuela’s July 28...
The Negroni Diaries
Americans deserve far more than a coronation
After the NATO Summit in Washington on July 9-11, where Biden-watching essentially became the main focus, and the assassination attempt on former President Donald...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Genocide Rears its Ugly Head in Sudan’s Brutal War
The UN Security Council has called for a halt to the siege of the city of el-Fasher in the Darfur region, where 1.5 million...
Kazakhstan
U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue deepens political and economic ties
The sixth annual United States-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue (ESPD) was held in Washington D.C. on May 31.The U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue was...
Africa
Washington orders new sanctions against Russia’s Wagner Group in Africa
On May 30, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ordered new sanctions measures to counter Russia’s destabilizing activities in...
China
Xi challenges a divided Europe
After the May 5-9 visit of President Xi Jinping to Europe most of the political analysts in Brussels who argued that the Chinese President's...
Democracy & Human Rights
U.S.-Kazakhstan dialogue on human rights and democratic reforms continues
The United States and Kazakhstan convened the third annual U.S.-Kazakhstan High-Level Dialogue on Human Rights and Democratic Reforms on May 20 in Astana, focusing...
Democracy & Human Rights
Georgia’s “Foreign Representatives Law” moves forward amid protests
On May 14, Georgia’s parliament approved (84/150) a hotly contested law on “Transparency of Foreign Interests” regulating the amount of aid local civil society...
North Macedonia
North Macedonia: Resuming course towards the political dark side?
As most analysts predicted after the strong showing of the nationalist presidential candidate in the first-round presidential elections on April 24, VMRO-DPMNE (Internal Macedonian...
Democracy & Human Rights
Kazakhstan: New law to protect women and children against domestic violence
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has recently signed key legislation largely criminalizing domestic abuse, ensuring women’s rights and safety of children which has been hailed...
Democracy & Human Rights
G7 Italy 2024 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on Addressing Global Challenges, Fostering Partnerships
The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the...
Democracy & Human Rights
The empty seat in Strasbourg
When the newly elected European Parliament convenes this year on July 16 there will be an empty seat in the plenary hall within the...
Democracy & Human Rights
Western corporations must be held accountable for their role in China’s Uyghur genocide
In recent testimony before the Senate, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that “the Biden Administration should be sanctioning human rights violations” there and...
Democracy & Human Rights
Kyrgyz “Foreign Representatives Law” enacted amid criticism
On April 2, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced that he had signed a hotly contested bill that allows authorities to register organizations as "foreign...
IT & Telecom
EU adopts safeguards on general purpose artificial intelligence
The European Parliament took an important step in regulating technology, approving on March 13 the EU's proposed Artificial Intelligence Act that aims to ensure...
Democracy & Human Rights
U.S. joins International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children
On March 7, the office of the spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State issued a media note, clearly meant to be circulated in...
Democracy & Human Rights
Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium sanctioned
The U.S. Government announced on March 5 a new set of sanctions on the members of the Intellexa Commercial Spyware Consortium based across Europe....
Democracy & Human Rights
Zimbabwe: U.S. reconfigures sanctions to focus on corruption and human rights
On March 4, three separate U.S. Government Departments/Agencies issued Zimbabwe-specific sanctions guidance, demonstrating how complex and intertwined U.S. sanctions legislation has become and how...
Russia Sanctions
New U.S. Russia sanctions widen scope, adding 500 new targets
The U.S. State Department released a comprehensive list of new sanctions measures on February 23, clearly the culmination of months of preparation in order...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Moldova’s 2024 elections: Why it matters
Since the war in Ukraine commenced, the neighboring Republic of Moldova, led by President Maia Sandu, has strongly supported Kyiv. As the tiny, landlocked...
Democracy & Human Rights
Vatican, Kazakhstan encourage interfaith dialogue
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Italy last week where he signed several agreements and made his first official visit to the Vatican to meet...
Myanmar
Myanmar’s instability deepens as the world watches silently
Myanmar’s stability has eroded significantly since the 2021 military coup. But the coordinated attacks by multiple separatist and pro-democracy groups in late 2023 has...
Democracy & Human Rights
For Turkey, the Kurds are always considered terrorists
“Hamas is a reality for Palestine. It is a political party … it entered the elections as a political party and won,” said Turkey’s...
Africa
Why Africa must be concerned about nuclear threats in Europe
Russia's threat to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a close ally of the Kremlin, in response to Finland's membership in NATO has,...
Democracy & Human Rights
Kafka in Kyiv — Why artists count in a time of war when the world has gone to hell one more time….
It was three o'clock in the morning and I was on a train heading to a war zone.I asked myself "why" I was going...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Playing politics with EU veto power – a very old game
In late November, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, standing alongside visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told the media that he was against the “bilateralization”...
Africa
Africa will watch the DRC’s elections with bated interest
2023 and 2024 are going to be busy years as far as elections in Africa are concerned. About two dozen elections will occur in...
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