The Mythical Benefits of the Customs Union

The Customs Union is causing major economic problems not only for its “minority” members, Kazakhstan and Belarus, but even for the major stakeholder - Russia

Pawel Swieboda: “If Ukraine fails to sign the Association Agreement with the EU, it will have a hard time returning to negotiations”

The Ukrainian Week discusses Ukraine’s European prospects with Pawel Swieboda, formerly EU Advisor to the Polish president and currently President of DemosEUROPA Centre for European Strategy

Russia is Arming Itself, but Against Whom?

Vladimir Putin has announced military reforms involving a large-scale rearmament of Russia. Success is not guaranteed, but Moscow will be able to do even more sabre-rattling before its neighbours and the West

A Prisoner of Conscience?

Pavel Khodorkovsky speaks about how his father has become a symbol of political repression in Russia and why he poses a threat to Vladimir Putin

The Art of Tightrope Walking

Pekka Visuri talks about security policy in neutral Finland

Personal, political and clan interests of those in power have always been more important to them than the national interest of the country

James Sherr claims that Ukraine’s choice today is between national and clan interests rather than Russia and the West

European politicians feel that Ukrainian authorities are mucking them about

Andrew Wilson, political analyst and Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, talks to The Ukrainian Week about the Ukraine-EU Summit and Yanukovych's tactics in negotiations with Brussels

Russia’s Soft Power Wars

The stark contrast between Western and Russian understanding of “soft power” has become evident during President Vladimir Putin’s third presidency. For the Kremlin, “soft power” is part of its arsenal of foreign policy tools designed to re-integrate Russia’s neighbors around a Moscow orbit.

Three in a Boat

PACE’s failure to recognize Azerbaijani political prisoners creates problems for their counterparts in Ukraine

Ukraine Between East and West

Stephen Blank of the Strategic Studies Institute talks about Ukraine confronting the growing pressure from Moscow and isolation from Brussels and Washington and the crises these cause.

PACE Vice-President: “Ukrainians alone can demand condemnation of Ukraine’s election riggers”

René Rouquet, PACE vice president, discussed with The Ukrainian Week whether international organizations can realistically be expected to impose sanctions on election riggers and whether Party of Regions representatives will again join the socialist faction at the PACE winter session to be held on 21-25 January in Strasbourg.

Adam Michnik: “Neo-Soviet Putin culture and the Berlusconi-type mafia culture have come to co-exist in Ukraine”

Polish civil and political activist Adam Michnik told The Ukrainian Week about the outlook for democracy in Ukraine.

Iran: Growing Dependent on China

Foreign Affairs Analyst Richard Heydarian talks about the present status and the outlook of Sino-Iranian relations

Igor Chubais: It’s naive to expect changes in Russia through elections

Igor Chubais, philosopher and brother of Russian politician Anatoly Chubais, told The Ukrainian Week about the direction in which Russia is moving, how many years the ruling regime has left and relations between official Kyiv and Moscow.

How to Save EU

Nicolas Tenzer on how the united Europe can overcome economic and geopolitical challenges

A War for the Neighbours’ Ears

The Party of Regions launches yet another campaign to whitewash the Yanukovych regime and discredit the opposition. Its members accuse international observers of violations and struggle to persuade the West that the election was democratic in Paris, and talk about threats from Svoboda in London

Andreas Gross: "Ukraine is already under authoritarian rule"

Andreas Gross headed the PACE observation mission for the October 2012 parliamentary election in Ukraine. Before PACE publishes its official report on the Ukrainian election on November 12, Mr. Gross shared his opinion with The Ukrainian Week.

Aleksander Smolar: “Full democracy can be revived in Ukraine only if citizens put pressure on the government”

For 21 years now, since Poland moved from socialism to democracy, Polish political scientist Aleksander Smolar has headed an influential NGO, the Stefan Batory Foundation, which was instrumental in developing open civil society in Poland and which has been involved in a number of national and international projects in Eastern Europe.

The American Choice of Europe

The EU hopes for Barack Obama to win the election, yet expects global leadership from any US president

Lost in Transition

After the 2012 parliamentary elections, it is tempting to describe Lithuania as a victim of a series of ugly and unscrupulous manipulations undertaken by political cheats like Viktor Uspaskich and his party, the Labor Party, which is among the major winners of the elections along with Lithuanian Social Democrats and Motherland Union (Christian Democrats). Yet on a closer look it appears a simplistic perception of Lithuania’s political reality.

Comfort or Freedom?

The fall session of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) proved that the real confrontation on the European continent is about values rather than geopolitics

Jakob Kellenberger on the Importance of Values in International Relations

Jakob Kellenberger is one of the diplomats who firmly believe that any interstate affairs should be based on certain values.

Estonia: New Parliament Heralded Decisive Shift to the Right

Elections to the new Estonian Parliament, the unicameral Riigikogu (as it is called in Estonian), on 20 September 1992 marked a watershed in the Estonian politics and laid the foundation for further successful development.

Opposition Wins Election in Lithuania

On 14 October, Lithuanians voted against the conservative government and the construction of a new nuclear power plant.

Georgia Dreaming

The transfer of power is almost over in Tbilisi.

Political Correctess in UK

There is growing resentment in UK of the way that some militants from minority groups are exploiting the reluctance of the police, social services and the law to target known extremists for fear of being labelled racists.