BEIJING – The 798 Art District, a trendy artists’ neighborhood on Beijing’s outskirts, far removed from the resplendence of the Great Wall and Forbidden City, offers visitors some curious insights into contemporary China.   In the middle of a central plaza, an installation depicts a lone swordsman defending himself against an encircling pack of large, [...]

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BRUSSELS — A specter is starting to haunt wider Europe — those countries located between the EU and NATO on one hand and Russia on the other.     That specter is “Finlandization.”   The return of this Cold War phrase reveals much about the changing spirit of the times and geopolitics of European security [...]

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BRUSSELS — Earlier this week, a Group of Experts appointed by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presented their  report on what a new alliance strategic concept should look like to the North Atlantic Council in Brussels. The group had been tasked to lay the [...]

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WASHINGTON–It has been quite a week for diplomacy on Iran. On the eve of agreement on a new round of sanctions among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the leaders of Turkey and Brazil concluded a dramatic visit to Tehran, bringing back a fissile material exchange agreement aimed at ending the stand-off over [...]

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ANKARA — As the Euro crisis continues despite the historic Greek bailout package EU members, particularly those that are in the Euro-zone are face to face with fiscal deficits and public debt alongside strong deflationary pressures. The limits of the downturn are not known yet and even the fate of Euro is doubtful for the [...]

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BUDAPEST–These days, as far as Europe is concerned, most eyes are fixed on the discussions about the financial aftershocks of the crisis, namely the debate on Greece. Other aspects, among them the social effects, remain sidelined. Struggling under increased pressure, most decision-makers seem to overlook that in many new member states, there has been a [...]

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WASHINGTON — To the disappointment of many Europeans, the review conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) which opened in New York last week, will not focus primarily on the tactical nuclear weapons remaining in Europe. Germans harbor a particular dislike for these weapons (the exact number is classified, but it is thought to be [...]

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WASHINGTON — The effort to defend Europe’s single currency has changed the continent’s makeup overnight. First, the bailout of Greece, then the huge $1-trillion aid package that will be made available to Eurozone countries facing instability. A big step toward a more centralized, federalist Europe was taken. The path toward a fiscal union is particularly [...]

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The US should press the International Monetary Fund to organise a Mexican-style credit line for Portugal and Spain. The rapidly metastasising Greek financial crisis threatens President Barack Obama’s economic recovery strategy for the United States. And if Greece’s troubles spread, undermining the Portuguese, Spanish and, eventually, the EU economy, the US €“ and possibly the [...]

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BUCHAREST — On May 9, the streets of Moscow will witness a rare and memorable spectacle. In a parade marking the 65th anniversary of Victory Day – the end of World War II, when Germany surrendered to Soviet commanders – 10,500 servicemen will march through Moscow for this special celebration, accompanied by 150 military vehicles. [...]

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