Latest posts by Vilhelm Konnander from July, 2011
Belarus: East and West and Nothing in Between?
"East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." This chronically misused Kipling phrase seems to catch the realities for an increasing number of Belarusians, who, waking to a wild and hostile world, are asking: "Who cares about Belarus?"
Russia: Upsides to Tandemocracy
Edward Lozansky at Russia Blog argues that so called Tandemocracy – power sharing – between Russia's President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, on the whole has had positive effects for...
Hungary: Nation or State?
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum takes a critical look at Prime Minister Orban's difficulties with balancing between Hungary as nation and state.
Ukraine: Parallels to Khodorkovsky Case
LevKo of Foreign Notes draws parallels between Russia's Khodorkovsky case and the current legal processes against former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and Minister of the Interior, Yuri Lutsenko, against the...
Russia: Questioning Emigration
Anatoly Karlin of Sublime Oblivion questions whether there is a second wave of Russian emigration, instead seeing this as a Russophobic myth and continues this theme by posting a translation...
Russia: Medvedev's Judicial Reform
Gordon M. Hahn of Russia: Other Points of View argues that, despite the Khodorkovsky case, the Russian legal system is improving as a result of President Medvedev's judicial reform work.
Czech Republic: Rise of the Sovereignty Party
Dr Sean's Diary takes a closer look at the Czech Sovereignty Party, Suverenita, and its policies.
Russia: Beer Considered Alcohol
Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia turns attention to a new Russian law that finally defines beer as alcohol in the country.
Eastern Europe: Dairy Farming in Fashion
Matthew Rojansky at Scraps of Moscow follows the lead of “The Cynical Dairy Farmer's Guide to the New Middle East” by constructing a dairy farmers guide to the Former Soviet...
Ukraine: History of a Building
Leigh Turner, British Ambassador to Ukraine, sketches the history of the building in Kiev where the embassy is located.
Russia: To Join WTO Or Not?
Russia's considerations whether to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) or not is addressed by Julia at The Pipeline, and by Democratist.
Romania: Ceaucescu's Repressive Machinery
Nelson Duque at The View East discusses the repressive role of the security service, Securitate, in Ceaucescu's communist Romania.
Hungary: Acquittal of Accused War Criminal
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about the trial against and acquittal of Sándor Képíró, accused of the 1942 Novi Sad Massacre, in Serbia during World War II.
Russia-Lithuania: Did Russian Pressure Set KGB-Officer Free?
Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] to what extent Russian pressure was decisive for Austrian authorities to let a former KGB-officer free, wanted by Lithuania for January 1991 Vilnius deaths.
Lithuania-Austria: Ex KGB-Officer Causes Controversy
Albatross of Litauen blog reports [GER] about a controversy between Lithuania and Austria, where Austrian authorities first arrested and then released a former KGB-officer, who commanded Soviet Alpha-forces during the...
Russia: Putin Wary of WTO
Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia argues that Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, is right in his wariness towards membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), fearing that this might...
Russia: Putin As Universal Evil
Ernst Krenkel of Backyard Safari discusses [GER] how Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, is often portrayed as a universal evil in the West, to the point where he is even...
Ukraine: Revenge of the Oligarchs
LevKo of Foreign Notes discusses the trials against Ukraine's former Prime Minister, Yulia Timoshenko, and Interior Minister, Yuri Lutsenko, portrayed by Frankfurter Allgemeine as revenge by the business oligarchs of...
Ukraine: Odesa Film Festival
Leigh Turner, British Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about the Odesa Film Festival, set against the background of many famous films, not least Eisenstein's “Battleship Potemkin.”
Germany: Stasi and its Informers
David Cook at The View East writes about the East German security police, Stasi, during the Cold War, and its system of informers.
Hungary: Military Training on School Curriculum
Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum reports that from the schoolyear 2012/2013, Hungarian high school students will be able to study basic military science as a subject to be included in...
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