Europe

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania saw the signs that Russia was preparing its society for a large-scale war with the West, and they knew it could have occurred in their countries – but it was Ukraine who fell victim to Russia’s expansionist ambitions.

Power game conundrums, widespread corruption, and an active peace support mission are all considerable barriers for any country seeking to enter the EU.

It can be stated that the law 'On Foreign Agents' writes off almost the entire path Georgia has gone through to be regarded as an aspiring EU member since it hints at hostility to this institution. Yet the protests in the country can be regarded as the catalyst for potential political change.

The Dayton Agreement, while successful in ending the violent conflict of the early 1990s, has become viewed as institutionalising ethnic divisions, leaving the entities in a tenuous balance of power.

The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee has published the HSC's evidence on the implications of the war in Ukraine for UK defense. The inquiry comes as the conflict enters its third summer and Russia has intensified its offensive operations.

The spectre of populism is haunting Europe. The populist parties are surging around the whole continent, and Germany is not an exception. The support for the far right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has risen significantly, which brings with it concerns about the sustainability of German democracy in the future.

Brexit became a turning point that vividly demonstrated the difference between the promised vision of devolution and its actual functionality in today’s reality. It is high time for the Good Friday Agreement to be reviewed.

While the UN-mandated, NATO-backed, and EU-led Peace Mission EUFOR-Althea continues to maintain peace and stability, it is up to the political process to find a lasting solution to a clearly unresolved frozen conflict.

Orban can be seen as a voice of the Kremlin in the European Union. His claims about the necessity of withdrawal of sanctions from Russia, hindering the arm supply to Kyiv and opposition to Ukrainian membership of the European Union prove that this suspicion is relevant.

If a compromise with the new government can be found, and if the new leaders will be predisposed to the democratic advancement and eradication of authoritarian mechanisms, there should be room for internal institutional change.