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…
Giles Merritt calls on the EU’s new leadership to level with national electorates and come clean on the true costs of the ‘Green Deal’ The EU doesn’t often tell it like it is. Even its direst warnings tend to be wrapped in lengthy and impenetrable reports that scarcely dent public opinion. But there are signs the…
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…
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…
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,…
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 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…
Taiwan serves as key geopolitical hub in East and Southeast Asia, and Taiwan can help make a safer World, writes Huang Ming-chao. The World Drug Report 2018 published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) pointed out that North America, East Asia and Southeast Asia are key regions in the production and…
Europeans in many member states are finding it hard to meet their monthly dues, resorting to personal debt as a short-term solution to their financial woes, writes Ali Burton. According to financial writer Maya Goodfellow, in the UK, despite record employment levels, debt has reached an all-time high. The TUC reports that UK homes now own…
Last week, the majority of EU countries’ ambassadors voted to support Romania’s former anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi to be the EU’s first public prosecutor but should she be the final choice of the EU Council and the European Parliament? asks Oliver Pahnecke. This question needs to be raised in light of information that shows…
