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Democracy Digest: Orban Acts Like Putin ‘Mini-Me’; Czech-Poland Turow Deal

The Hungarian PM’s trip to Moscow further cements his turn away from the West, while Poland and Czechia say they have agreed to settle a long-running dispute over a lignite mine on the border. his is a peace mission,” insisted Hungarian Prime Minister Orban ahead of his controversial visit to …

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Balkan Parties Join Rightist Summit in Madrid to ‘Defend Europe’

Far-right leaders from all over Europe gathered in Spain last week to form a united front – but forging a common platform on issues like Russia is proving tricky. Under the slogan “Defend Europe”, representatives of far-right nationalist parties in Eastern Europe and the Balkans attended a summit in Madrid …

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For Bulgarian Leftists, a Dramatic Deficit of Political Options

The Bulgarian Socialist Party long ago lost credibility among young, progressive, pro-Western leftists. But who else is there on the Bulgarian Left? For progressive, pro-Western, left-leaning voters in Bulgaria, options are limited when election time comes around. Very limited. They might be expected to vote for the Bulgarian Socialist Party, …

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LOSING MY RELIGION IN SLOVAKIA

Slovakia is traditionally viewed as the more religious part of the one-time common Czecho-Slovak state. Yet the latest census shows the country is becoming more atheist and this shift will likely be irreversible. Population data since 1989 has supported the stereotypical view that Slovaks are the more religious people of …

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Raising Interest Rates Won’t Change Energy Prices, Says ECB Chief Lagarde

Talking to EU lawmakers on Monday (8 February), European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde reacted to criticism from conservative politicians who blamed ECB policy for the inflation currently biting into Europeans’ purchasing power. Yearly inflation was at 5.1% in January 2022, up from 5% in December, which is higher …

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Deciphering Chinese Grand Strategy – Analysis

Grand strategy refers to state’s plan of action to achieve its major long-term objectives. Beijing’s grand strategy relies on a combination of leadership declarations, policies, economic activities, and military means. Since its inception in 1949, China’s strategic focus has shifted from revolution-survival-recovery to an emphasis on rejuvenation. A combination of …

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The Weaponization Of Economics (Part II)

Slippery slope However, interesting as those experiments and observations might be, they are still the result of specific parameters within a particular setting and an environment that doesn’t resemble real life. Serious and honest behavioral economists both understand and freely admit this. Just because there was one experiment in which …

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Understanding The ‘Shiite Crescent’ As Iranian Grand Strategy – Analysis

As a concept, grand strategy refers to the long-range instrumental mobilisation of a state’s combined resources, vectors of influence and capabilities in order to achieve an advantageous position, satisfy vital national interests, enhance national security, and navigate assertively in an environment in which uncertainty and danger are commonplace. As such, …

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The Russian Navy In The Russia-Ukraine War Scare – Analysis

Shortly after the conclusion of the Russian-Belarusian strategic Zapad-2021 exercise, open-source analysts, corroborated by U.S. intelligence findings, began reporting a new build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border. Though most tracking concentrates on the movement of Russian Ground Forces equipment, the Russian Navy has also been moving, albeit at …

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Rusia no quiere intermediarios

Putin deja en ridículo a Macron, y con él a Europa, para dejar claro que solo acepta que se le reconozca una relación entre grandes potencia con Estados Unidos Las prisas que se ha dado el Kremlin en desmentir que los presidentes de Rusia y Francia alcanzaran el lunes un …

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