Congratulations, Serbia – leader and model!
The EU begins to adopt Belgrade’s two stool approach to Russia’s war against Ukraine (sort of). By David B. Kanin European notables owe... Read More
War crimes trials: appropriate but problematic
The clamor for retributive justice makes outright military success over Russian forces even more essential. By David B. Kanin The documented atrocities being... Read More
Can the UN General Assembly act on Ukraine?
This food crisis suggests the need to establish secure transportation zones in Ukraine and the Black Sea to allow food to be gathered and transported.... Read More
Ukraine – towards a peace agreement, part #1
This essay sets out a process by which to initiate an agreement to bring Ukraine to peace, including considerations about a new federal constitution and... Read More
Ukraine: an essay on the economics of the refugee crisis
The Russian attack on Odessa will inevitably follow the encirclement of Nikolaev, which can be expected in the next few days. This will create a... Read More
If NATO cannot act, then individual EU countries should
It may be time for the EU – perhaps under its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) – or individual European countries to consider placing... Read More
An essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Part #5: preventing another genocide
NATO now needs to use its collective strength to defend Europe once more and to prevent Ukraine from being reduced to another slaughterhouse. Russian ground... Read More
The Ukraine crisis and Great Power rivalry in the Balkans
War or not, current tensions underscore the region’s geopolitical marginality. The outcome regarding Ukraine will suggest which great power is more likely to bend Balkan... Read More
An Essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, part #4: understanding Russian intentions
The Russian opinion is that the current chaos in Ukraine is jeopardising Ukraine’s status as a buffer state between East and West so imperative to... Read More
An essay on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (#3): why is the diplomacy failing?
To avoid messy partition, Zelensky must go. This can be done neatly and easily, through the good will and practicalities of diplomats of all kinds... Read More
An essay on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, part #2: domestic political manouverings
Russia’s principal problem with Ukraine is that Kyiv’s current political leadership is seeking to strike out in a direction independent from Moscow’s foreign policy, causing... Read More
Ukraine, Russia and the Kosovo precedent
The Western role should be to help Kiev make the best deal possible with Moscow while there may still be one to make: a federal... Read More
An Essay on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Part #1
Russia has amassed in the region of 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and equivalent armour. The intention is therefore clearly for a ground war.... Read More
Progress toward Ukraine, Donbas, Russia conflict resolution – serious negotiations still needed
Today, there is a need for dialogue, trust-building, and reconciliation within the country. The same issues as to what “self rule” means in practice is... Read More
Is a Ukrainian peace agreement possible?
The trigger events for a peace agreement for Ukraine may look rather different from those conventionally found in the armoury of the peacekeeper. The main... Read More
Surviving imprisonment – does Ukraine need a law for former prisoners from the Donbas conflict?
Ukrainian society has had to face many challenges since 2014. One of them is reintegrating people who have experienced imprisonment and violence.
“Invisible battalion”: how Ukrainian women secured the right to fight on a par with men
For four years, Ukrainian civil society has been fighting in the war against Russia. The war effort came from below – and women are playing... Read More
The disintegrating Donbass – is there a future for a con-federal Ukraine?
The current crisis may serve as a reminder of how dangerous a disintegrating Donbas can be. An alternative would be to study seriously the possibilities... Read More
Growing up apolitical in Ukraine’s war zone
War, propaganda and misunderstanding — teenagers in Ukraine’s frontline towns are growing up under incredible stress.
Structuring Ukraine’s phantom republics
We must find ways of dealing creatively with the new States born from the break up of the Soviet Union: Abkazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Transnistra,... Read More
The fog of civil war – divining the truth in Avdiivka
International policymakers must not get distracted by the act of assigning blame. One of the cruelties of civil wars lies in the fact that howsoever... Read More
Power, corruption and lies – the vortex of ‘Frozen Conflict’
‘Frozen conflicts’ blight a number of ex-Soviet states where reformist voices seek a more democratic and liberal path. Resolving these disputes has proved exceptionally difficult... Read More
Transnistria, Northern Cyprus and Donbass – lessons learnt and not to be repeated
The lessons and knowledge accumulated from Transnistria and Northern Cyprus should be a valuable asset when tackling another emerging frozen conflict in Europe – the... Read More
Agreeing to end civil wars – reflections from the Balkans to Ukraine
If civil wars were not destined as a rule to yield uneasy but stable partition, then it is hard to see why they would be... Read More
Ukraine’s European integration
If the EU is serious about helping Ukraine, both parties should focus on the country’s most glaring problem, and the Maidan’s principal demands – justice... Read More