Why is a Cold war era art suddenly back in vogue

In the past few years, Russia – under President Vladimir Putin – has frequently been compared to the old Soviet Union. Like his Soviet predecessors, Putin has sought to (and largely succeeded in) building Russia as a recognized force to be reckoned with on the global stage.

The parallels between the old USSR and today’s Russia are many, and not without reason.  As a scholar of history and a former KGB operative, Putin has a shrewd grasp of Russia’s geographic, economic and political challenges, and how best to maintain his own policymaking power.

Saving Schengen: How to protect passport-free travel in Europe

Schengen countries must decide when Bulgaria and Romania should join, whether Greece should leave and how to work more closely with Turkey on border control. 

Greece was already at the eye of the storm in 2012: not only was it at the centre of the euro crisis, but it was also showing systemic deficiencies in its border control and asylum systems. Today Greece is still the weakest link in both the euro and Schengen chains. In the report Brady, now an aide to European Council president Donald Tusk, argued that governments and the European Commission should sort out Greece’s dysfunctional immigration and asylum system, accelerate existing border-control initiatives, and strengthen co-operation with countries in North Africa, Russia, and, most importantly, Turkey. These policy recommendations remain particularly valid today, in the light of Europe’s current refugee crisis.  

Battered Greece and Its Refugee Lesson

Here’s a rough guide to the modern world: More efficiency, less humanity. Technology is principally at the service of productivity. Acts of irrational grace are not its thing. They have no algorithm.

Greece has made me think about everything statistics don’t tell you. No European country has been as battered in recent years. No European country has responded with as much consistent humanity to the refugee crisis.

Η τελευταία πράξη μιας Εκδίκησης.

Αν στις 25/1/2015 είχαμε εκλογές των οποίων το αποτέλεσμα το περιμέναμε με ενδιαφέρον, (και κυρίως τις συνέπειες αυτών) για τις χθεσινές, το αποτέλεσμα και τα απορρέοντα από αυτό, ήταν πολύ λιγότερο απρόβλεπτα. Είχαμε αναφέρει τους οδηγούς εκείνους που θα καθιστούσαν τον Αλέξη Τσίπρα μεγάλο νικητή των εκλογών. Αυτό που ήταν λιγότερο αναμενόμενο, ήταν οτι ξεπεράστηκε μια διαφορά φυσιολογική από το δεύτερο κόμμα (5%) και τελικά, αυτή ξεπέρασε τις 7 μονάδες. Επίσης, το οτι δε χρειάστηκε παρά ένα τηλεφώνημα για να σχηματιστεί ουσιαστικά κυβέρνηση, μέχρι τις 10 μ.μ.

Θα μείνουμε ως συνήθως στο να συζητούμε τα ευκόλως εννοούμενα και να τα ανακυκλώνουμε ή θα προσπαθήσουμε να δούμε την πολιτική πίσω από όλα, μένοντας μακρυά από τα υποκριτικά ερωτήματα του τύπου «γιατί τέτοια πρωτοφανής αποχή;», «γιατί έπεσαν τόσο έξω οι δημοσκοπήσεις;». Χθες, αφού το «παλιό» τα έβαλε με τον «μαζοχιστή» λαό, μετά, τα έβαλε με τα Στοιχεία της Στατιστικής και τις μαθηματικές μεθοδολογίες. Κόντεψαν να καταρρεύσουν τα Μαθηματικα!

Oπλισμένα γερμανικά μαχητικά στους ουρανούς της Βαλτικής απέναντι στη ρωσική αεροπορία

Οπλισμένα γερμανικά μαχητικά Eurofighter Typhoon έχουν αρχίσει τις περιπολίες στους εναέριους χώρους των βαλτικών χωρών, όπως μεταδίδουν ΜΜΕ.

Αναλυτικότερα, σε δημοσίευμα του Russia Today, αναφέρεται πως, σύμφωνα με το πρακτορείο DPA (που επικαλείται δηλώσεις του Καρλ Μίλνερ, γενικού επιθεωρητή της γερμανικής πολεμικής αεροπορίας), γερμανικά μαχητικά πετούν στους ουρανούς της Βαλτικής οπλισμένα για πρώτη φορά από την αρχή της ουκρανικής κρίσης. Όπως ο ίδιος υποστήριξε, δεν πρόκειται για κλιμάκωση, αλλά πρέπει να διασφαλίζεται ότι υπάρχει ισορροπία σε περίπτωση συνάντησης με πιθανό εχθρό. Ωστόσο, δεν διευκρινίστηκε ποια πολεμική αεροπορία θα μπορούσε να αποτελεί αυτόν τον εχθρό, ενώ συμπληρώθηκε ότι η παρουσία όπλων στα Eurofighter είναι απαραίτητη για να «εμψυχώνονται οι πιλότοι» που πραγματοποιούν τις περιπολίες.

Iran Deal May Redefine The Middle East

One month after the Iran nuclear deal was concluded, the Middle East is still reeling from profound shock. Long and well established alliances have led to bewildering changes, not only in the Mideast, but across the world.

The stark difference is nowhere more strikingly revealed than in the media reports on the recent Iran nuclear deal. In a recent article on the front page of the Tehran Times, the author compared President Lincoln’s battle with a recalcitrant Congress for the passage of the 13th Amendment with Obama’s struggle with the Congressional leadership and hardliners for passage of the Iran nuke deal.

Four principles for Theories of Change in global development

The stratospheric rise of the Theory of Change approach continues. In a new paper published today, I argue that taking a Theory of Change approach demands a radical shift towards more and better learning in development thinking and practice.

Hang on, do we know what a Theory of Change approach actually is?

Global slowdown: The eurozone to reap what it has sown?

The slowdown in emerging markets leaves the eurozone even more reliant on exports to the US and UK to compensate for its feeble domestic economy. 

The eurozone is banking on a weak euro and strong global growth to boost exports and inflation and offset the weakness of domestic demand. How likely is this? China might yet avoid a recession, but there is no doubt that it is set for a period of much slower growth. At the same time, pretty much every emerging market is weakening, partly because of their dependence on China, and partly because of sluggish productivity growth. The US Federal Reserve’s decision not to increase official interest rates is welcome: a rise would have prompted further capital outflows from emerging markets. But there is no doubt that the global economy is labouring, and that this poses a threat to the eurozone’s anaemic recovery. 

The Middle East Visits Europe: The Ramifications of the Refugee Crisis

The European Union finds itself in the throes of a far-reaching humanitarian crisis, as waves of refugees and asylum seekers flock to its gates in numbers not seen since the end of World War II. The hundreds of thousands who have already arrived and the hundreds of thousands who are expected to reach the shores of Europe before the end of the year have taken EU member states by (incomprehensible) surprise and consequently, have found these states unprepared to deal with the influx. At the same time, the EU is in the throes of a deep identity crisis. The lack of solidary and willingness to share the burden of the refugees is a manifestation of the societies’ deep dissimilarities stemming from cultural, political, economic, and historical differences that are difficult to weather in a crisis. Europe’s acceptance of Syrian and other Middle Eastern nationals who for years experienced anti-Israel and anti-Semitic indoctrination will also affect the refugees’ ability to adopt the historical lessons and sociopolitical meanings of World War II already internalized by European societies. Will the new Europeans feel the same moral, historical commitment? Current experience with the positions of EU’s Muslim residents toward Jews and Israel does not bode well for this outcome.

Η σύνθεση της οκτακομματικής Βουλής

Οκτακομματική είναι η νέα Βουλή που προέκυψε από τις εκλογές της 20ης Σεπτεμβρίου. Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ εκλέγει 145 βουλευτές, η ΝΔ 75, η Χρυσή Αυγή 18, η Δημοκρατική Συμπαράταξη 17, το ΚΚΕ 15, το Ποτάμι 11, οι ΑΝΕΛ 10 και η Ένωση Κεντρώων 9.