This post was first published in TH!NK ABOUT IT site 25th February 2009. Parliament is a venerable name of democratic institution, one could even suppose that its members are doing some worthy job and decisions there. However a couple of examples from last week again showed where the real power is. The meeting in the [...]

This post was first published in TH!NK ABOUT IT site 12th February 2009. The internal report shows that a project of World Bank in southern Albania led to the destruction and destitution of a powerless village Jale in 2007. The report, obtained last week by Balkan Insight , a publication run by investigative journalists in [...]

This post was first published in TH!NK ABOUT IT site 1st February 2009. EU taxpayers are paying over 2,410 million (€ 2.4 bn) Euros to receive EU propaganda of EU bureaucracy. This amazing figure can be found from recently published study “The hard sell: EU communication policy and the campaign for hearts and minds” (December [...]

I am a bit worried about a trend at the beginning of year 2009 – a trend I hope will not dominate the rest of the year.  The phenomena in my mind is the new tradition of non-negotiation.  Crisis management and solving conflicts will be much more harder if local stakeholders are unable even to talk each other. Few examples [...]

Media is one of the most powerful factors in modern politics. It can help to start wars – like Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq – and it can also help to sop them like in case of Vietnam. Free and investigative journalism is a key element for implementing democratic ideals and for participatory process of social [...]

I just took a glance at very interesting new report published on 21st November 2008 by the United States National Intelligence Council – Washington’s main intelligence body.  The report, Global Trends 2025: A World Transformed, is published every four years to give U.S. leaders insight into looming problems and opportunities. This agency of agencies, formed [...]

EU summit meeting on 14th Nov. 2008 with Russia in France is designed to reopen talks on a pact of cooperation after the crisis in relations caused by the Georgia conflict on August 2008. Before meeting hard words have been changed over Kaliningrad missiles, Nato radars and EU/OSCE monitors in Georgia. However the core question [...]

During last conflicts in Caucasus and before in Balkans there has been discussion about EU’s position between conflicting parties -between east and west.  I can agree with those who advise that EU should not take sides but rather balance its criticism with conflicting parties. From my point of view this could mean an approach with [...]