13 June 2013
Author: Anna Bulakh
On any given summer Saturday morning in Tallinn, tourists can be found walking up and down the Balti Jaam flea market hoping to find a unique piece of the former Soviet era—whether military uniforms, pins or medals, portraits of Lenin, and red Communist Party membership cards. Unfortunately, these visitors rarely realize that since the supply of such relics is of course finite, the majority of them are cheap, newly-made copies—part of an industry that in a bizarre way is keeping the Soviet Union alive.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
6 June 2013
Author: Martin Hurt
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation organised a conference on European Security in Moscow (MESC 2013) in the third week of May. Drawn from academia and government, the approximately 300 participants came both from Russia and other former Soviet republics as well as NATO and EU member states. The aim of the conference was to present the official Russian view on three topics: missile defence, NATO enlargement, and arms control. Although MESC 2013 was well-organised and achieved its instructive objective, it did not fully provide the opportunities for an open discussion such as the participants may had expected.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
5 June 2013
Author: Matthew Bryza
A quiet protest by a handful of environmentalists has exploded into a nationwide outcry by the half of Turkey’s electorate that did not vote for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). These protestors transcend class and party lines, and even include many AKP supporters. They are united by their rejection of what they see as Prime Minister Erdogan’s intrusion into their private lives through restrictions on alcohol sales and public kissing. In addition, many protestors have deeper suspicions that the prime minister is waging ideological warfare by attempting to impose Islamist social norms on Turkey’s secular society.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
29 May 2013
Author: Tomas Jermalavicius
The German government has decided to pull a plug on the so-called “Euro Hawk” project – development of the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, based on the US-made RQ-4 “Global Hawk” system. The justification for that was that the project stood little chance of satisfying a critical requirement – a certified ability of the unmanned aerial vehicle to safely fly in non-segregated (managed) airspace, sharing it with piloted aircraft – at a reasonable cost and within reasonable time frame. Having sunk in almost 0.5 billion euros into the project and anticipating further delays and financial outlays beyond the original plan, the German government decided that, in the words of the defence minister, “the end in horror was better than horror without an end.”
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
17 May 2013
Author: Pauli Järvenpää
Last week the Finnish Parliament debated the 2012 Defence White Book. It was to be a formal, well-choreographed discussion, with the Kokoomus-led six-party majority government already firmly lined up behind the text. But then something happened: a question was raised as to whether or not Finland could still be called a militarily non-aligned country.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
6 May 2013
Author: Erik Männik
The conflict in Mali veers towards a protracted counterinsurgency campaign. Lacking the skills necessary to contribute, Chadian troops are about to leave the conflict zone. France intends to keep 1,000 troops there for offensive operations against insurgents. They will operate side by side with the UN troops. The UN Security Council has authorised the deployment of 11,200 military and 1,440 police personnel to Mali. The UN forces will start their deployment on July 1st and their tasks will include the stabilisation of the country and the training of Malian troops. They will work side by side with the EU training mission in Mali.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
24 April 2013
Author: Martin Hurt
According to one definition, defacement is a type of vandalism that involves damaging the appearance or surface of something. The object of damage may be architecture, books, paintings, sculpture or other forms of art. It may also be a nation.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
12 April 2013
Author: Anna Bulakh (ICDS research assistant)
Sequels of outstanding movies inevitably tend to pale in comparison to the originals. Yet with the “never-ending story” of the Ukraine-Russia gas disputes, however, the plot gets more captivating by the year. On April 4, Coal and Energy Minister of Ukraine Eduard Stavytskyi brought the audience into familiar territory, responding to a Russian promise that there would be no discounts by declaring that Ukraine would simply stop buying gas from its neighbor altogether Stavytskyi affirmed that Ukraine stops completely buying Russian gas:
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
12 April 2013
Authors: Emmet Tuohy and Anna Bulakh
The effects of the recent revolution in North American shale gas are now being felt in Europe, as both states and energy companies rush to be the first to reap the promised benefits of the region’s reserves. The Ukrainian government—making positive headlines for a change—has seized the momentum, calling for a new European energy future that will break the chains of Russia’s energy monopoly in the region.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
10 April 2013
Author: Hannes Hanso
The problem with North Korea and the Kim dynasty is that they will continue to exist as long as they have a certain utility for major regional or global powers. This appears to be the case for all parties involved, including China, the US, Russia and Japan. North Korea is in an awkward way a necessary evil that holds regional powers in balance and helps to maintain a functioning status quo. When this delicate balance crumbles, a whole new security structure will have to be found. Nobody appears willing to take the first step into the unknown. North Korea’s leaders seem well aware of the situation and are trying to exploit this to their own advantage i.e. trying to ensure regime survival and international acceptance as a nuclear power.
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posted by: RKK/ICDS
