Lithuania’s struggle for freedom continues
NATO’s European members have increased defense spending for the first time in seven years, Euronews reports: The hike was driven by Latvia, Lithuania and to a lesser extent Estonia, three… Read more »
Category: Europe
Growing threats to civil society
A healthy and functioning civil society is vital for human rights and democracy everywhere, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission writes: Civil society organizations (CSOs) play a crucial role in… Read more »
Who Wants to Unmake the West? Call for Transatlantic Renewal
A United States hostile to the EU would be terrifying for Europe at any moment, but never more so than right now, analyst Michael Crowley writes for POLITICO, adding… Read more »
EU-US must win hearts and minds in Western Balkans
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that Turkey’s approach to democracy and the rule of law are “deeply problematic” to the country’s future cooperation with the European Union. “These deep… Read more »
Democratic modernity ‘not enough’ for CEE
The illiberal, populist drift in Central and Eastern Europe is a consequence of disillusion with the European Union as well as historical legacies, says a prominent analyst. “These countries had… Read more »
‘Constrainment’: A new Western strategy to counter Putin’s Russia?
A growing majority of French voters see Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Front as a threat to democracy, but a third approve of its ideas, a poll showed on Tuesday, Reuters… Read more »
Hungarian law targets foreign-backed NGOs
The Hungarian government is moving to limit the influence of nongovernmental organizations that promote democracy and the rule of law, Lili Bayer writes for POLITICO: This week, parliament is expected… Read more »
‘Don’t do propaganda’ to counter information warfare
Czech President Milos Zeman is likely to announce a re-election bid this week after a first term marked by sniping at journalists, warnings on Muslim immigration and a growing friendship… Read more »
How central Europe’s high hopes gave way to creeping authoritarianism
The central European states were the vanguards of communism’s collapse in the late 1980s, prompting a sense of inevitability about democracy’s benign coming, reinforced by the diverse figures who stepped… Read more »
Ukraine democratic transition ‘being driven from bottom-up’
Ukraine is set to launch its case against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, seeking an order to halt Moscow’s support for pro-Russia separatists in… Read more »