Michael Werbowski

Expert

Press Inquiries

EXPERTISE

EU, NATO, international relations, security

LANGUAGES

French, German, Spanish, Russian

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Werbowski is a Vienna-based reporter, heritage activist and political campaign organizer who specializes in international geopolitical issues. He graduated from the University of Leeds, U.K., and wrote his MA dissertation in post-communist studies on the topic of E.U. enlargement to the nations of “new” central Europe. He did his BA studies at the faculty of Political Science and Law (University of Nantes, France) and later spent a year as an “etudiant libre” attending classes at the Institut d’ Etudes Politiques de Paris. In 1992, he took summer courses in American foreign policy and advanced journalism at Harvard University. In 1993, he ran for parliament in the Canadian federal elections. He is a Salzburg Global Seminar fellow from 1996 and was awarded a Wolfson college Cambridge media fellowship in 2004. From 1994 until 2000 he resided in Prague as a reporter for the local press. From 2000 until 2003 he worked in Mexico city as a correspondent for the Czech daily Lidove Noviny while collaborating with the Mexican media.

In 2005, he lectured in Prague’s Anglo American college on corporate ethics and media coverage. As a reporter he covered and commented on issues related to E.U. and NATO enlargement for the prominent Czech daily Lidove Noviny and the Prague Post. He has written news and commentary for newspapers such the Mexican daily Excelsior and Tiempos del Mundo in Mexico City. For his environmental coverage of the Chalillo dam controversy in Belize he was awarded an honorable mention for best reporting in 2003 by the Mexican journalists’ club.

Mr. Werbowski’s articles have been translated from English into Spanish and French in magazines, newspapers and websites world wide. Most recently he was business editor at the English daily The News in Mexico city. He is currently working on and researching a book on former U.S. foreign policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (1977-81) Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski. He has worked with several NGOs and international organizations over the years (most recently assistant to an E.U.-member state OSCE delegation in Vienna).

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
One Year Later, U.S. Stands With Ukraine

One Year Later, U.S. Stands With Ukraine

Monday, February 20, 2023, the world was startled by the news of John Biden’s visit to Kyiv. Some experts described it as a surprise trip to the capital of embattled Ukraine. The visit had a highly symbolic significance emphasising Ukraine’s resistance to the world’s second army. Biden in Kyiv, commemorated the first anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and highlighted the role of the Central and Eastern European region.

Iran To Buy Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets

Iran To Buy Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets

Not surprisingly, Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, expanding a relationship that has seen Iranian-built drones used in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Both states have been in talks for months now to purchase fighter jets, a sign of ever-increasing military cooperation between Russia and Iran.

U.S. President Joe Biden Arrives In Kyiv And Warsaw

U.S. President Joe Biden Arrives In Kyiv And Warsaw

U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Poland and Ukraine on February 20–23. While the White House announced Biden would visit Poland, the U.S. leader traveled into a war zone in Ukraine amid a cloak of secrecy. In Kyiv, he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while in Warsaw he addressed Poles in a speech and attended an extraordinary summit of the Bucharest Nine.

Policy Brief. Kremlin Watchers Movement Report

Policy Brief. Kremlin Watchers Movement Report

Russia uses disinformation as a foreign policy tool, and its military actions in Ukraine are supported by disinformation operations. Poland, as one of Ukraine’s main allies, is an important country against which the Kremlin uses disinformation.

Biden’s Kyiv Visit Sends Strong Message to Moscow and West

Biden’s Kyiv Visit Sends Strong Message to Moscow and West

U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv on February 20, ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The visit carried huge symbolism as while in Kyiv, the U.S. president promised new military aid to Ukraine. Biden’s trip to war-stricken Ukraine was a clear sign of strong support for Ukraine from the United States sent to both Russia and some Western states unwilling to provide assistance to Kyiv. Perhaps the Kremlin considered Biden’s trip to Kyiv was no longer just an effort to save Ukraine but to smash Russia militarily.

Russia Passes Law Fixing Urals Rate For Tax Calculations

Russia Passes Law Fixing Urals Rate For Tax Calculations

Russia is struggling to stick to the federal budget in 2023. This year Moscow will see a modest cash inflow to the budget. Moscow will never get such a petrodollar lifeline as it got last spring. One idea to save the budget is through new tax calculations.

Belarus, Gazprom Sign Gas Supply Deal

Belarus, Gazprom Sign Gas Supply Deal

Belarus’ Ministry of Energy signed a protocol with Gazprom on the process of establishing prices for natural gas delivery to Belarus by 2025. The tariff is set at $128.5 per 1,000 m3, as in 2022. A Gazprom-dependent gas intermediary and Gazprom also set some rules for natural gas supply to Belarus.

Russian Offensive in Donbas Did Not Scare off Ukrainians

Russian Offensive in Donbas Did Not Scare off Ukrainians

Instead of a lightning thrust, Moscow has dialed up offensives in a handful of spots, resulting in fighting that is slow and extremely tiring to both sides. Russia has commenced its long-awaited offensive as six months passed since Moscow’s last gains in Ukraine’s Donbas. This is where Russian forces are now advancing while seeking to control the southern front spanning from Dnipro to Melitopol in case of a Ukrainian counter-offensive effort.

Ukraine Imports Gas via Moldova

Ukraine Imports Gas via Moldova

In early February, Ukraine launched virtual reverse operations to supply gas to neighboring Moldova. Thus Ukraine has access to the Balkan gas grid while Moldova has strengthened its energy posture to the detriment of Gazprom.

The Balloon Escalation

The Balloon Escalation

On Saturday, February 04, 2023, the U.S. Air Force F-22 stealth jet fighter shot down what the U.S. identified as a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina. Similar events involving unidentified Chinese balloons have happened before, but this incident has a symbolic significance. The shot-down balloon becomes the next escalation point in relations between the U. S. and China.

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