Recent Posts

The EU’s Ban on Russian Oil May Have Hit a Snag Named Orban

Energy analysts in Brussels have been burning the candle at both ends this week to determine the full extent of the disruption and economic fallout from the European Union’s impending ban on oil imports from Russia. But though Germany has dropped its opposition, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is still …

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Es sind Helden

Die Deutschen haben ein Problem mit Helden. Das hat mit unserer Geschichte zu tun, weil beim Begriff des Heldentums stets ein martialischer Unterton mitschwingt. Vor allem aber erscheint es uns als archaisches Konzept, das wie ein Fremdkörper in unsere saturierte, an Mitte und Mittelmaß orientierte Gegenwart hineinragt. Tatsächlich zeigen uns …

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EU rushes out $300 billion roadmap to ditch Russian energy

The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power. The European Commission’s investment initiative …

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NATO talks with Finland, Sweden falter but will continue

NATO envoys failed to reach a consensus Wednesday on whether to start membership talks with Finland and Sweden, diplomats said, as Turkey renewed its objections to the two Nordic countries joining. The envoys met at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels after Finland and Sweden’s ambassadors submitted written applications to join the …

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Interrogation, uncertainty for surrendering Mariupol troops

Nearly 1,000 last-ditch Ukrainian fighters who had held out inside Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant have surrendered, Russia said Wednesday, as the battle that turned the city into a worldwide symbol of defiance and suffering drew toward a close. Meanwhile, the first captured Russian soldier to be put on trial by …

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Will Russia Complete Iran’s Rasht–Astara Railway?

The Russo-Ukrainian war has had a direct impact on the status of the various China–Central Asia–Russia–Europe transit corridors that traverse Eurasia. The Northern Corridor branch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in particular, has faced serious challenges and limitations, forcing a halt to the so-called “New Eurasian Land Bridge” …

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Γιατί η Τουρκία δεν θέλει την ένταξη Φινλανδίας και Σουηδίας στο ΝΑΤΟ

Μέχρι σήμερα η Τουρκία προσπαθεί να εκμεταλλευθεί όπως μπορεί τη συμμετοχή της στο ΝΑΤΟ, δίχως η ίδια να προσφέρει ό,τι απαιτείται για τους συμμάχους, υποσκάπτοντας μάλιστα τη συνοχή του συνασπισμού, με τη συμπεριφορά της απέναντι στην Ελλάδα. Τώρα, η Άγκυρα αισθάνεται πως η παρασιτική της σχέση με το ΝΑΤΟ μπορεί …

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Clashes break out in Tripoli, drive rival Libyan PM away

An attempt by one of Libya’s rival prime ministers to seat his government in the capital of Tripoli triggered clashes Tuesday between competing militias, forcing the newly appointed premier to leave the city. The development underscored the fragility of the situation in the war-wracked country while the two rival prime …

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