Posts tagged Europe
The Gospel According to Poroshenko: Politics, Religion, and the New Church of Ukraine

By Nicolai N. Petro

Religious conflict in Ukraine has been much in the news of late, ever since President Petro Poroshenko very publicly embraced the ambitious idea of creating a single, unified Orthodox Christian church out of the country’s many Orthodox denominations. This idea, long dear to the hearts of Ukrainian nationalists, kept the issue on the front pages of the media in Ukraine, Russia, and other predominantly Orthodox countries for most of 2018.

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“Perfection Has No Future Tense:” Putin’s Legacy

By Sir Roderic Lyne

As Putin enters his next six-year stretch (which will be punctuated, mid-term, by Duma elections in 2021), two related questions will arise. First, can Putin – a man who trusts few people — develop a successor from the next generation who is strong enough to control Russia’s baronies, and whom he can trust to protect him, his family, his associates, and their vast wealth? Second, what will Putin seek to achieve in possibly his last term in office?

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“The Russians Would Not Have Gone Into That Meeting Empty-Handed:” Bill Browder on The Trump Tower Meeting and Vladimir Putin’s Russia

An Interview with Bill Browder

A meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and a Russian-American lobbyist, Rinat Akhmetshin, at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, is the subject of ongoing inquiries by multiple congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Browder, the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, invested in Russia from 1996 to 2005 with over $4 billion in Russian stocks.

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Welsh town steels itself for globalization

By Aleydis Nissen

Port Talbot Steelworks is the largest steel plant in the UK, producing nearly all 1 and 2 penny coins in circulation. It is one of the largest private employees in the town, employing around 4,000 workers. The Welsh economy was put at risk last year when the owner of the plant, the Indian multinational Tata Steel, announced that it was no longer profitable, and looked to sell the plant. It is still looking for buyers, but the plant remains threatened.

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Lessons Against Tyranny

By Alex Defroand

A week after the election of Donald Trump, Timothy Snyder, a historian of twentieth-century Europe, posted a message on his Facebook page entitled, “Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” Reflecting on the experience of Europeans “who saw democracy yield to fascism,” Snyder urged Americans to heed lessons such as “do not obey in advance” and “be kind to our language.” The post was shared more than 18,000 times.

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How Should the U.S. Respond to a Russian Cyberattack?

By Nicki Softness

Historical analysis of Russia’s strategic military choices suggests that the state would prioritize the United States’ information technology (IT) and communications critical infrastructure as key cyber targets. In reaction to such an attack, the United States would have to choose from a spectrum of military and intelligence counter-responses, ranging from lower-level alternatives, to those with high potential for escalation.

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The end of secure jobs? Of US dominance? Of qualified politicians? Our recent podcasts discussed

By Alex Defroand, Joshua Jacobs, Nelly Mecklenburg, Will Wright, Rebecca TeKolste, and Johannes Sosada

In our first ever podcast series, we talked with former presidential candidates, directors of major banks, academics, and journalists as we grappled with the implications of this year in politics and international affairs: Donald Trump’s election; Brexit; the ever-worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Syria; the refugee crisis; and the future of liberalism.

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