Europe & Central Asia Archives - Foreign Policy In Focus

The Military Occupation of Macedonia

by Michel Chossudovsky | Aug 1, 2001

The Western press points to the “mediation” of the U.S. and the EU in what is largely portrayed as an “internal conflict.” Public opinion is led to believe that the Macedonian crisis pertains solely to the social, political, and language rights of the ethnic Albanian minority and that the “international community” is committed to ending the violence “between government forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents” while assisting opposing sides to reach a solution.

NATO’s Credibility in Macedonia

by Robert Greenberg | Aug 1, 2001

In Macedonia peace remains elusive, despite the signing of a political compromise between Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian and Macedonian leaders on August 13. Relations between the country’s Macedonian and Albanian communities are on the verge of a complete breakdown.

The Russian Left Today

by Boris Kagarlitsky | Jul 1, 2001

To judge from opinion surveys, newspaper reports, and conversations on the street, Russian society is moving leftward. To judge from the statements of politicians and the relationship of forces within the elite, however, the country is moving decisively to the right.

Justice for Some: The Geopolitical Reality of Impunity

by Stephen Zunes | Jul 1, 2001

The extradition of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague could be seen as a triumph for the worldwide movement for human rights. Never before has a sitting head of state been indicted for war crimes–nor been subsequently put to trial before an international tribunal.

Kashmir at the Summit

by Ninan Koshy | Jul 1, 2001

Kashmir and Kerala, perhaps the two most scenic of the Indian states, are at the northern and southern ends of the country, respectively. During his New Year holiday in Kerala, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee wrote some “musings” on Kashmir, almost as if he were “thinking aloud.” He wrote that he was determined to address seriously the Kashmir problem, which he identified as one of the bitter legacies of the partition of the subcontinent, while also recognizing both the internal and external dimensions of the issue.

The U.S. as Global Outcast: Growing Anti-Americanism

by Stephen Zunes | Jul 1, 2001

The growth of anti-Americanism is obvious not just in the Middle East and other third world conflict areas, but even within Western European countries long considered to be among America’s strongest allies. This is reflected in public opinion polls as well as through anecdotal evidence by those of us who frequently travel abroad.

The Slovenia Summit: Bush Meets Putin

by Robert M. Cutler | Jun 1, 2001

The first Bush-Putin meeting will not take place in a vacuum. Their one-day summit in Slovenia will come after Bush concludes a swing through Spain, Belgium, Poland, and Sweden (which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union). President Vladimir Putin will have already assessed the new U.S. president personally through psychological profiling and consultations with European leaders who have met him. He already has his agenda, which is to use the meeting to influence European elite and public opinion, which is already skeptical about Washington’s plans for National Missile Defense (NMD).

The CIA’s Worst-Kept Secret: Newly Declassified Files Confirm United States Collaboration with Nazis

by Martin A. Lee | May 1, 2001

“Honest and idealist … enjoys good food and wine … unprejudiced mind …”

The Key West Conference on Nagorno-Karabakh: Preparing Peace In the South Caucasus?

by Robert M. Cutler | Apr 1, 2001

In early April the United States is hosting a nearly week-long meeting in Key West, Florida bringing together President Robert Kocharian of Armenia and President Heydar Aliev of Azerbaijan. This meeting is part of a continuing attempt to settle the conflict between the two countries over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This region is an enclave in Azerbaijan settled by Armenians since the early nineteenth century, and from which the resident Azerbaijanis were chased during a war in the late 1980s.

Climate Change: Europe at the Crossroads

by Tom Athanasiou | Mar 1, 2001

It’s hard for Americans, even progressive Americans, to imagine a future in which the U.S. is no longer the “indispensable country.” This is as true when it comes to climate politics as it is in any other area, and for much the same reason: the U.S. looms so large that it simply cannot be ignored. We emit, in particular, such a high share of world’s carbon that, in the end, any climate regime to which we do not immediately subscribe is doomed to failure.