Book Publication: Is Europe Facing a Democracy Crisis?
The European Union has a democracy problem. The polycrisis that has plagued the EU for years has led to a cacophony of voices calling for fundamental change to the integration project. Yet despite the shock of the Brexit referendum and the electoral upsets caused by nativist parties across the continent, few of the plans for EU reform include concrete proposals to address the perennial democratic deficit. Read
The EU is not a collection of 25 national interests
Interview Philippe Kamaris, former Head of the European Parliament Information Office in Riga* Read
Democracy mobilized
Three weeks before the US presidential elections politika.lv interviewed Richard Jensen, professor emeritus of History, University of Illinois, Chicago Read
EU Enlargement: a Very British Welcome
The new members should party as hard as they like, on 1st May, but if the British don’t turn up at the Malta fireworks with a bottle of Moet in hand, don’t think us spiteful – it is just that the party is further for us to travel to and we’d rather have a nice cup of tea and a good night’s sleep. Read
From Khruschev to Putin - The Challenge of Reforming Russia
Interview with William Taubman, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography "Khrushchev: The Man and His Era" (2003) and Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science at Amherst College Read
Supporting Democracy to the East: A matter of self-interest
Interview with Vladimir Socor,
Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Strategic & Political Studies
Columnist, Wall Street Journal Europe
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There is no such politician, Putin
In her book, which was banned from stores before the Russian parliamentary elections, long-time Kremlin correspondent Yelena Tregubova speaks openly about what goes on behind the scenes in of her country’s political system. Read
Sobering up on both sides of the Atlantic
Everybody concerned has learned the lessons and is going through a kind of ‘hang-over’, if you like, after the excessive emotions and divisions we had earlier in the year. On both sides of the Atlantic, I feel a sobering up. Read
Estonia: Wise tactics or dumb luck?
Perhaps that was the strategy of the state-sponsored campaign - to let EU-sceptics waste all their arguments before the pro-EU side seriously entered the battlefield? Read
The EU is a Compromise of Compromises
I think that the Convention has already shown that an enlarged EU of 25 is very different from the Union of 15 because I don’t think that most of the newcomers will be very afraid of expressing their thoughts. I don’t think that they would “use the opportunity to shut up” when France or Germany is saying something that they believe is important and the others have to follow. Read
We Will Unite the Continent in the End!
You are not acceding to a market, you are acceding to a political Union that is more political than 10 years ago and most likely will be more political in 10 years. If you want a political Union to function, you have to give it the institutional means to do so. If that means renouncing a couple of votes in the Council or the rotating presidency, I think that is a price worth paying. Read