Category: Central/Eastern Europe

Six steps to counter Putin’s ‘asymmetric assault on democracy’

     

A new report warns of deepening Russian interference throughout Europe and concludes that even as some Western democracies have responded with aggressive countermeasures, the U.S has no strategic plan to… Read more »

Tillerson criticizes Russia’s use of hybrid warfare ‘to undermine Western institutions’

     

  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today criticized “Russia’s continued use of hybrid warfare” and its attempts “to undermine Western institutions” in a reference to the mix of state-sponsored… Read more »

Ukraine’s oligarchs strike back, challenging anti-corruption reform

     

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has called for the resignation of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a defiant impromptu rally in front of parliament in Kyiv, shortly after his supporters freed him… Read more »

Russia ‘brazenly assaulting foundations of Western democracy’: how to counter Kremlin’s information warfare

     

The Kremlin-backed Russian Internet Research Agency operated dozens of Twitter accounts masquerading as local American news sources that collectively garnered more than half-a-million followers, Bloomberg’s Selina Wang reports: More than 100… Read more »

‘Normalization’ or alarmism? How to best defend democracy

     

Where do you draw the line between living in a democracy in which the party you despise has won free elections and living in a dictatorship where the opposition may… Read more »

Montenegro poll shows anti-Western tilt, highlighting autocrats’ illiberal ‘spoiler’ role in Western Balkans?

     

A new survey of public opinion in Montenegro reveals widespread opposition to NATO and U.S. involvement in Europe’s security as well as dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. According… Read more »

Information Disorder: disinformation, democracy and post-truth politics

     

  The European Union will spend €1.1 million on training diplomats to monitor fake news, amid growing alarm on Russian propaganda, EUobserver reports: The funds, as well as related measures… Read more »

Re-active measures: defending the West from Russian disinformation

     

Most internet users today take for granted their ability to instantly retrieve information and communicate across an open and secure, globalized web, notes Will Wright, a program officer for Russia… Read more »

Civil society defending Ukraine’s revolution against Ukraine’s leaders

     

As Ukraine’s oligarchic status quo re-asserts its power, the country’s international partners need to step up their support for democracy, says Sergii Leshchenko, a Ukrainian journalist and a member of… Read more »

Illiberal international? How Putin is ‘using Hungary to destroy Europe’

     

  Russian President Vladimir Putin has some key allies in the European Union. In some countries, they are outliers, even fringe elements. But in Hungary, a nation of about 10 million people… Read more »