Other Voices

Georgia and Eurasian Union

From time to time, there are speculations in Georgia about the possibilities of the country joining the Eurasian Union. The creation of this body is an attempt by the Russian Federation to somehow revive the unity between the post-Soviet states. Some people support this idea even in Georgia. Obviously these people are airing the desire of Russia to reunite these states around it once again.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - 14:26 By:  Zaza Gachechiladze, Editor of The Messenger
Bulgarians vote amid atmosphere of scandal

Bulgarians head to the polls on Sunday (12 May) to elect a new Parliament nearly three months after public outrage forced the government to resign. The snap election comes amid the fallout of a wiretapping scandal that exposed abuse of power.

During street protests in January and February, sparked in part by high energy costs and general economic malaise, six people in different cities set themselves on fire and five died of their burns.

Monday, May 13, 2013 - 12:13 By:  EurActiv
Nagorno-Karabakh: Obstacles to a Negotiated Settlement

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains immune to a political solution despite the two decades of intensive international mediation. The parties to the conflict are using negotiations to buy time and maintain a fragile status quo, even if they find it unfavourable in the long run. The external actors either lack tangible interest in breaking the current political impasse or are unable to do so. The complexity of issues and geopolitical realities around the NK conflict render it intractable and make its resolution ever more challenging.

Monday, May 13, 2013 - 12:12 By:  Anna Hess Sargsyan, ISN
U.S. leave Europe - the absent are always in the wrong

While there are visible signs of constant equilibrium shifting on the worlds arena of the international relationships, America's relation with Europe seems to be forgotten. Generally European continent is presented as the one reflecting American values ​​and predominantly supporting the United States in its international affairs. The fact of the matter is, the U.S. administration made ​​a number of mistakes, that have contributed to decline of its popularity in Europe. There are multiple reasons why this has happened, but all of them come from the lack of mutual understanding.

Monday, May 13, 2013 - 12:10 By:  Bartosz Mroczkowski, Geopolityka - ECGA
Have Georgia's NATO prospects been pre-determined?

During the recent NATO seminar held in Tbilisi, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili mentioned in his speech that the Georgian government plans to receive MAP during the NATO summit in 2014. Though Ivanishvili stated this with the utmost confidence, some experts doubt that this will be the case.

Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 12:05 By:  Zaza Gachechiladze, Editor of The Messenger
Eastern Mediterranean Might Become New Trouble Spot

When the Texas-based Noble Energy, the largest operating partner in Israel's Tamar Gas Field project, said that the deposit has entered into operation ahead of schedule, experts assessed the event not only as the most important in the modern economic history of Israel (achieving energy independence) but also claimed it to alter region's long-standing power balance.

Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 08:04 By:  By Stanislav Tarasov, Business Mir
The "Silver Age" of Gas in Europe?

It was his organization that declared a "Golden Age of Gas" across the globe.

But Keisuke Sadamori, Director for Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency (IEA) admitted to attendees at the opening of Gas Week 2013 that the characterization may not, in fact, apply to Europe.

Monday, May 6, 2013 - 13:53 By:  Natural Gas Europe
If Russia is a "dying nation," so are other CEE states

Much has been made of Russia's poor demographic situation and the problem of a shrinking population has been held up as the reason the country is doomed. But in an excellent piece, Forbes contributor Mark Adomanis points out that if Russia is doomed, then so are all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Moreover, this problem is not limited to the region.

Monday, April 29, 2013 - 14:15 By:  BNE

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What is Other Voices?

Other Voices is intended to provide our readers with material from other countries and other people. Stratfor does not endorse the ideas and may even disagree with them. We nevertheless find them interesting and believe our readers will too. These will appear occasionally on subjects both broad and narrow.

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