The Socialists’ streamlined political machine and controversial patronage system won them a third election victory – but have worrying implications for democracy, experts say. As Albanian election officials were busy counting ballots cast in Albania’s April 25 parliamentary elections last week, one name popped up in the media as a …

With a parliamentary majority proving elusive, Bulgaria appears destined for another election. That’s about all anyone can predict with any degree of certainty. Uncertainty is the only certainty in Bulgarian politics these days. Since an inconclusive election on April 4, both the winner – long-time ruling party GERB – and …

The fact that territorial changes in the Balkan region are becoming a reoccurring debate suggest that these dangerous ideas are gaining traction, even within the EU. Much has already been said about the now infamous “non-paper” apparently composed by Slovenia’s Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, which mulls the possible partition of …

Like most fear-driven projects, Europe’s new anti-terror internet regulation will benefit the enemies of free speech far more than the public. On 28 April, without a plenary vote, the European Parliament adopted a widely criticized piece of online content regulation colloquially known as TERREG, which aims to prevent terrorism by …

Moldova says it is slowly being robbed of the property portfolio of spas and sanatoriums it built up in Ukraine when they were both part of the Soviet Union. Acourt ruling in Moldova regarding ownership of a building housing the country’s consulate in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa is …

Ending Turkey’s support in military training, consultancy would not favor Libya, says Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Foreign fighters and mercenaries should leave Libya, but these forces should not be confused with legitimate forces training Libya’s military under a pact with the legitimate government, Turkey’s foreign minister said Thursday. “There are …

The Russian media outlet Vz.ru reported that Russia had, for the first time, surpassed the U.S. as a supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe, and that this positive news for Russia meant that “our gas has once again proven its superiority.” The article stated: “Russian LNG is in more …

Egypt and Turkey opened talks in Cairo on Wednesday, seeking to normalise relations after eight years of sharp differences over a wide range of bilateral and regional issues. The landmark, two-day talks, the first between the two Muslim nations since 2013, are being held at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in …

In recent weeks, Egypt has released a handful of high-profile political prisoners, including three journalists, Khaled Dawoud, Solafa Magdy and Hossam el-Sayyad. Dawoud, who had become a leader in the opposition al-Dustour, or Constitution party, was arrested in 2019 following the outbreak of brief anti-government protests. Magdy and Sayyad, who …

South Koreans often refer to their country with a famous proverb: “In a fight between whales, the shrimp’s back gets broken.” But rather than a shrimp, Seoul is betting that it can become a dolphin, giving it more agency and maneuverability as competition heats up between the United States and …