Psy-ops and disinformation campaign in Italy amid crisis

This article first appeared on the website IGTDS The Institute for Global Threats and Democracy Studies, and is reproduced with permission from the authors. A group of Russian military arrived in Italy exactly at the same moment as an active campaign was launched across social networks, calling for the country’s withdrawal from the EU. The…

“Integration Needs Integrity to Succeed” – Vladimir Krulj

The current public health crisis is causing EU member states to close their borders and distance contact with neighbouring countries. But Counter-intuitively, Dr Vladimir Krulj argues that we must not forget the long term objective of greater integration between the EU and its neighbours. The European Union is the “most successful experiment in international cooperation…

Yes, the Virus Came from Wuhan

This article first appeared in the Human Rights Magazine “Bitter Winter” By Marco Respinti Two Chinese scholars suggested that the virus came from bats kept in two Wuhan research centers. Their paper was promptly censored, but the Chinese Communist Party should explain to the world what exactly happened there. A whole country, Italy, is quarantined….

Trojan Horses Against A European Fortress

This blog was first published in www.democratic-europe.eu and is reproduced here with the permission of the authors. When, during a military confrontation (or heated debate), one party is unable to tackle its adversary in open combat (or through convincing arguments), it resorts to treacherous tricks (or substitution of senses), exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses. Modern-day Western…

‘Between public good and bad governance’

Under the banner ‘Between public good and bad governance’ the European Parliament hosted a conference discussing the contemporary role of NGOs, writes Gary Cartwright. Delegates, from the worlds of politics, civil society, academia, and the press heard the argument that the lines between NGOs and lobbyists, and, indeed, purveyors of fake news, have become increasingly blurred. The…

Shooting Down Ukrainian Flight PS572: What Do We Need To Know?

Iran has undoubtedly left many impressed with their guilty plea over the missile hit that downed the Ukrainian passenger jet flight PS752. But there remains a certain feeling of unwholesomeness as if something is missing from the official reports, writes Max Uran. What if Tehran’s true intentions are not about opting for a worthy and…

Why Lebanon Deserves International Support

The news from Lebanon in recent weeks has been grim. As street protests in Beirut and other cities intensify, so does the country’s economic suffering, writes Charles Tannock. A political, economic, and social crisis has taken hold, leading to hard-currency shortages that hinder imports of vital daily commodities such as wheat, medicine, and fuel. Moreover,…

Sweden and the Baltic countries may receive multi-billion compensation for Russian nuclear waste burial in the Baltic Sea

We publish here in full, with the permission of the authors, the text of a report first published on 23 December) by the Institute for Global Threats and Democracy Studies (www.igtds.org). The bottom of the Baltic Sea may contain nuclear waste burial sites made by the Russian military in the early 1990s. This complements the…

The EU should demand urgent action on Romania’s shameful prison conditions

The spotlight had already been on Romania’s prison conditions due to a report earlier this year by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), writes Dr Charles Tannock. There was further international scrutiny as commentators wondered how Liviu Dragnea, the leader of country’s Social…