Category Europe

Blockchain for Governance: Four Use Cases for Encouraging Timely Development and Adoption

The blockchain movement originated as part of a libertarian solution counter to centralized authority. And now, ironically, it is governments that are increasingly interested in the potential of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs). ... Indeed, Blockchain technologies are poised to significantly benefit public services by improving governments' efficiency and transparency. This article argues why and how governments should more boldly pursue the use of blockchain technology as a tool for improved governance outcomes.

Prisoners of the Caucasus: Protracted Social Conflict in Chechnya

In Pushkin’s 1822 poem, Prisoner of the Caucasus, the epilogue proclaims, “And the violent cry of war fell silent: All is subject to the Russian sword. Proud sons of the Caucasus, You have fought, you have perished terribly.”[1] The political overtones of the poem’s dénouement are jarring compared to the poem’s earlier verses on romance, natural beauty, and the heroism of the Caucasian people. But the poem’s ending reveals the complicated position of the region in Russian history and culture. The Caucasus is simultaneously a place to be controlled, otherized, and romanticized.

Middle Powers to the Rescue?

For seven decades, the United States has prided itself in being a reliable and committed NATO partner, willing to protect all allies at all times. Today such assurances no longer appear rock-solid. ... In this context, one is reminded of Czech-born writer Milan Kundera’s insightful words regarding the fate of small countries: “What distinguishes the small nations from the large is not the quantitative criterion of the number of their inhabitants; it is something deeper: for them their existence is not a self-evident certainty but always a question, a wager, a risk.”

Standing Tall on the Black Sea, For Now

Since the pivotal event of former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s execution on Christmas Day 1989, and the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union, Romania has established itself as a friend to democratic values and to global security and stability. In less than 30 years, Romania has adjusted its economy to support capital markets, strengthened its institutions enough to gain membership into the European Union, and invested in its security and its internal values enough to gain membership into NATO.

The Geopolitical Variable Called Ukraine

At no point in modern European history have the people of Ukraine occupied as important a role in European geopolitical developments as they do today. Although not yet immediately apparent, the 2014 overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych and the political and economic transformation will have greater geopolitical consequences than European policy makers often assume. If Ukraine’s transformation fails, its example will deliver a shattering blow to those calling for increased liberalization in remaining illiberal states across Eastern Europe.

European Union Foreign Policy and the Failure of Potential

Retired Army Colonel Fitz Fitzpatrick discusses the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defense Policy and the EU’s efforts to address crises in Libya, Ukraine and Syria. He argues that the EU has struggled to establish foreign and defense policies that are independent from the United States, and only an existential crisis will push the EU to fulfill its potential as an actor on the world stage.

Terra Ignota: Catalonia, Secession and the EU

What stance should the European Union take on Catalan secession and membership for separatist regions of member states? SAIS student Emily Ashby explores the legal rationale and precedents for Catalonia’s secession under Spanish national law, European law, and international law. She argues that both the weak legal case and the political nature of the EU membership process constrain the EU’s policy options.

Can Russia Maintain European Demand of Natural Gas in a Changing World?

In this article, author Joniel Cha investigates current trends in Russian natural gas production and exports, focusing on its role in the European energy markets. He analyzes how Russia uses natural gas production for its geopolitical strategy, the policies of different European countries, the effects of external shocks, and other strengths and weaknesses of the Russian gas sector to assess its future as supplier to Europe.

Weber’s Protestant Ethic Revisited: Explaining the Capitalism We Take for Granted

Author Edmund Ruge revisits the German Sociologist Max Weber's theory of international development to see how Weber's theory, as expressed in his classic book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism are still relevant today in the field of international development. Edmund Ruge then juxtaposes Weber's theory of development with two other theories of development that were proposed by Karl Marx and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.