With the Winter Olympics now underway, all eyes are fixed on the competing athletes as they take to the ice and snow. But amid the dazzling displays of athletic prowess, significant developments have simultaneously taken place on the diplomatic sidelines of the Games. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in …

A Greek prosecutor on Wednesday brought terrorism charges against three people accused of participation in an arson attack by an extremist anarchist group against an Orthodox Christian religious society in the northern city of Thessaloniki. The suspects, two men aged 35 and a 20-year-old woman, all Greek citizens, were arrested …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …