News, opinions & media
Two Countries, Same Destiny – Embassy of Romania in Warsaw
On Tuesday, 01.10.2019, the Embassy of Romania in Warsaw hosted an event titled “Two Countries, Same Destiny – One Century of Diplomatic Relations and 10 Years of Strategic partnership between Poland and Romania”, or in short, “Two Countries, Same Destiny”.
Strategic Cyber Forum – CyberDefence24 Day
A delegation of the Warsaw Institute attended the first-ever edition of the Strategic Cyber Forum, an event that took place in Warsaw on October 1, 2019. Hosted by Defence 24, the meeting served as a platform for a discussion on cybersecurity issues at the time of the technological revolution spreading worldwide between businesspeople and governmental officials, as well as experts and market commentators.
Georgia Is Tilting Towards Political Turmoil
Newest polls found that only a dozen or so percent of Georgian citizens see their country going in the right direction. On the one hand, a change in power in the next year’s general vote is likely to happen if the Georgian political stage witnesses the birth of the long-awaited “third political force.”
Playing the Trans-Caspian Game
The First Caspian Economic Forum, during which politicians and business representatives from five Caspian Sea states have met, has been recently held in Turkmenistan. As anticipated, the event has become a perfect occasion to announce a series of declarations and agreements by individual policy makers. Among the published reports, those regarding the plans of constructing the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, which is greatly supported by the US and EU, seem particularly interesting.
The Gas Intermarium
An agreement on energy cooperation signed between the United States, Poland and Ukraine is yet another episode in the U.S.-Russian war over the hydrocarbon market in Central and Eastern Europe. This is the response to the increased cooperation between Moscow and Berlin and the plan to make Germany a hub distributing Russian gas. Now, Poland has a chance to become a competitive hub distributing U.S. gas. This will benefit not only the U.S. and Poland, but also other countries in the Central and Eastern European region, providing an alternative to Russian gas.
The Hardest Choice of Batka
Belarus is entering an election year. The country’s parliamentary elections will be held in November 2019, whereas the next presidential election is scheduled for spring 2020. Under the rule of Alexander Lukashenko, elections have become purely administrative rituals, however, this time, they might involve – from the regime’s perspective – a greater risk. On the one hand, Russia is putting more pressure on Belarus for further bilateral integration while at the same time reducing its economic assistance for the neighbour; on the other hand, Lukashenko has to start thinking about his future successor and the fact that without substantial reforms, the current economic model of Belarus is doomed to bankruptcy.
OPAL gas pipeline verdict, Gazprom has no room for maneuver
Regarding the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union on Gazprom’s use of the OPAL gas pipeline (with an annual capacity of 36 billion m3 of gas), which de facto distributes natural gas from the Nord Stream I gas pipeline, Warsaw Institute expert Grzegorz Kuczyński gave a commentary to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
Regional and Economic Diplomacy Summit 2019
On September 9-10, 2019, the first edition of the summit on regional and economic diplomacy and the promotion of territorial, business and scientific cooperation took place in Warsaw. The partner of this event was the Warsaw Institute think tank and the editorial office of The Warsaw Institute Review.
French Reset
Paris’s ambition is to take over from Germany as Moscow’s top political partner in Europe. The first step consists in taking the lead in the so-called Normandy format. What seems to foster this move is the election of a new president of Ukraine. Seen to have been far closer to Germany, Petro Poroshenko was replaced with Volodymyr Zelensky, a politician said to be more France-oriented. What is the Kremlin’s reaction?
NBC news quotes the Russia Monitor programme from Warsaw Institute
NBC News has published the article “Russia says it ‘chased away’ NATO fighter jet near defense minister; s plane” based on NATO pilot testimonies and on Russia Monitor think tank Warsaw Institute publications.
No Chance of Breakthrough on Nagorno-Karabakh
Another round of talks on Nagorno-Karabakh was held in June in Washington, bringing together the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss peaceful solutions to the thirty-year-long armed conflict in the region. Although June saw a relatively quiet situation on the front line, soldiers still die in sporadic battles fought on both sides. But is U.S. diplomacy likely to help establish peace in the Caucasus?
The end of the INF Treaty is good for Europe – interview for American National Review
Grzegorz Kuczyński, Director of Eurasia Program in Warsaw Institute (Poland) and Marcin Gawęda, President of The Warsaw Institute Foundation (USA), gave an interview to the American conservative National Review. In the article entitled “The End of the INF Treaty Is Good for Europe” by Christopher Tremoglie, there are answers why the end of the agreement between Russia and the U.S. is not bad for Central and Eastern Europe.
INF’s Demise is Russia’s Defeat
The United States officially pulled out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. While announcing Washington’s ultimate decision, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Moscow of having violated the deal. Naturally, Moscow claims the United States is to be blamed for the end of the landmark agreement, a statement that was followed by Russia’s formal exit.
Political Change in Ukraine: What’s Next with Ukraine’s Donbas Conflict?
Ukraine’s recent elections have yet again brought up the issue of settling conflicts in the eastern part of the country. But is Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s new president who had won a sweeping victory in both presidential and parliamentary races, capable of bringing peace in the midst of the ongoing dispute? Will he step up to Russian efforts aimed at maintaining the region within its sphere of influence?
Warsaw Institute
