Blogs

During a search for updates on latest news from Skopje, the words of actor Vlad Jovanovski stood out from the pages of Macedonian “Utrinski Vesnik” newspaper, as the rough translation of his phrase portrays “the Macedonian people as someone who sits on a volcano that could explode at any moment.” This is not new, nor does it describe only Macedonia. The “powder keg of Europe” metaphor defined the Western Balkans as early as the beginning of the 20th century. We may argue that a lot has changed since. However, geography stays the same, shaping up history in circles and maintaining the intrinsic link with ethic identity. We may argue that [...]

This week, the prime minister of the United Kingdom called into question the nature of European integration, forcing member countries to re-evaluate their roles in the regional bloc. Now the possible fall of Slovenia’s government could, despite the country’s small size, have significant implications for the European Union. This week the Slovenian government lost its parliamentary majority after one of the parties quit the governing coalition. Slovenian Prime minister Janez Jansa is under pressure to step down after allegedly misreporting his private wealth, and coalition member Civic List left the government after Jansa did not respond to an ultimatum calling for his resignation. Another coalition member, the Pensioners’ Party, is [...]

“The world is seen differently depending on one’s location.” This phrase has been haunting me for some time and I’m constantly reminded of it in all my trips and discussions. Being tied into our own daily reality, we care less about what’s happening in the world and we tend to be interested only in those issues that affect us. I understand that someone living in Romania doesn’t pay much attention to what’s going on in Mexico. But for me, being able to look beyond my own perspective to see what motivates actions by countries is important, and it’s at the center of my job at Stratfor.I’ve always loved international relations [...]

While most conferences on NATO organized by organizations close to the alliance follow a somewhat predictable format, I had the privilege to participate in one that was interesting not only for the ideas participants brought forward, but also for the interaction between the speakers and participants, NATO and the Future of Cooperative Security (part of the 58th ATA General Assembly), held in Rome. On the diplomatic side, the general consensus was that if NATO wants to remain a relevant institution, the Europeans have to take on a greater burden. Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi was surprisingly frank, saying the Europeans can no longer rely on Washington to take the lead [...]

This week Beppe Grillo, the leader of the Five Star Movement, became an international media phenomenon. The movement led by this comedian-turned-politician won more than 8 million votes in the Italian elections of 24 and 25 February, becoming the third largest political force in Italy and the single most popular force for the Chamber of Deputies. Grillo’s success poses questions about the political system in Europe, because his popularity is rooted in the increasing dissatisfaction with his country’s political status quo — a sentiment found in many other EU member countries under economic pressure. Much has been written about Grillo in the last few days, and with a good reason. To [...]