The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a time of momentous social and political change, including in Russia, but Russia’s development followed a different path than that of many Eastern European countries.
As Belarus faces increased isolation and potential economic collapse, it is time for the international community to come together and seek a least bad outcome for the short term, while laying the foundation for long-term positive change.
Ambassador de Brichambaut, secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), discussed the organization's activities and challenges over the last six years and reflected on current challenges facing the OSCE and the broader Euro-Atlantic community.
In order for the EU to succeed in promoting political and economic reform in several eastern European countries, it must find a way to offer significant incentives to the political elites of those nations even as it withholds the possibility of EU membership.
Promoting democracy in the six post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe that were designated by the European Union as deserving special attention will require the EU to offer incentives for implementing reforms.
A legally binding free-trade agreement could be a key instrument in the EU's efforts to push Ukraine to reform.
Following December’s presidential election in Belarus, which European observers said failed to meet international standards, Alexander Lukashenka claimed an implausible landslide victory and launched a wave of political repression.
Amid growing concern over Viktor Yanukovych’s policies, the question remains to what extent the current political set-up in Ukraine can withstand international and domestic pressure.
The recent presidential election in Belarus, followed by a crackdown on the opposition by President Aleksandr Lukashenka’s government, has strained relations between Minsk and the West.
Although U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden’s visit to Moldova can do much to highlight the country’s potential and to support progress already under way, the solutions to the country's lingering problems will depend on political will and creative thinking from Chisinau.
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