Amateur Football in Russia Interview At the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup a new personal exhibition by Sergey Novikov named “GRASSROOTS. Amateur Football in Russia” has been opened in the The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography in Moscow. The journalist Yekaterina Fomina asked the photographer why he is travelling around provincial stadiums and what role politics plays there.
World Cup on a Swamp Construction as Destruction The decision of where to build Kaliningrad’s 2018 World Cup stadium was the subject of heated debate; indeed, some had argued against the original building site but were overruled in 2014. Rosprirodnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage) observed that the soil on the island where the stadium was to be constructed contained dangerous substances, such as benzo(a)pyrene and radon, but this observation went unnoticed. Aleksandra Korolyova
Trump vs. EU: The Dead End of the Normative Approach Blog The disappointment of Europeans grows with the tone and manner of Trump’s behaviour, his disregard for European arguments against trade restrictions as well as the fact that he broke an international agreement and threatens European businesses with secondary sanctions. But how can a divided Europe keep up with the US? Vessela Tcherneva
Trump’s Challenge: What Can the EU Do to Prevent Escalation in Jerusalem? Article Jerusalem has seemingly forever been at the epicentre of conflicts in the Middle-East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has proven no different. Sovereignty over Jerusalem remains deeply contested between Israelis and Palestinians with both sides laying claim to the Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount. Hugh Lovatt
From International Revolution to a National State – The Case of Georgian Social Democracy (1917-1921) Article In the twilight years of the 19th century, the Georgian people were faced with a number of challenges. Although the abolition of feudalism had liberated the peasantry, they had not been given land and their afflicted state remained the same. Beka Kobakhidze
Orbán - A Trendsetter? The name Visegrad in Western European terminology has become synonymous with a lack of solidarity and nationalist politics. In Hungary, however, it also has implications for the future of democracy in Western Europe. How can the EU recover its appeal? Eva van de Rakt
Taking the Lead Where Others Don’t - Suggesting Pillars for Conflict Resolution Intervention Led by the European Union - Executive Summary Article The conflict in Syria, considered to be the worst humanitarian crisis the world has faced since World War II, continues to have devastating effects on its people and an increasingly destabilising impact on the wider region. The EU can make a difference in conflict solving. George Ghali
A Glimmer of Hope among the UK's Startling Leadership Vacuum? Blog The UK is witnessing a drastic leadership vacuum - just when the opposite is needed most. Tory and Labour party are divided but there is hope given the multiple new civil organisations pop up on the Remain side. Jean Lambert
Hungary: a Foreign Policy Stress-Test Case for NATO and the European Union? Blog The foreign policy of the new Orbán government is rather 'obstructionist' than constructive. Orbán aims to create a sphere of influence on the Western Balkans and together with Poland form an Eastern block against the central European power. He is also inclined to make frequent use of it's veto right towards the EU. Péter Krekó
Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (1918-20): Origins, Milestones and Legacy Article Undoubtedly the emergence of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (ADR) was the by-product of a broad range of processes and dynamics in and around of the Caucasus, the developments in the Tsarist Russia as well as in the neighbouring countries of the Russian Caucasus, the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The elites of the ADR, both of Muslim and of non-Muslim faith were socialized in the late Romanov period. Azərbaycan dilində Zaur Gasimov