August 29, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
One of the major theories behind the formation of the EU – and one of the successes that has always been claimed – is that by intertwining European economies as closely as we can, future conflict will become impossible. All … Continue reading
August 28, 2008
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
With the limiting/cutting off of the wealthy European markets for her products that any isolation / “new Cold War” would imply, her economy will end up even more screwed than it is already, further isolating the government from the people. … Continue reading
August 27, 2008
by Nosemonkey
14 Comments
Believe it or not, from time to time people actually ask me for my opinion on things, rather than me just spouting out unsolicited words into the electronic ether and hoping that someone may spot them and correct my mistakes. … Continue reading
August 27, 2008
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
It seems that Russia’s new post-Cold War strategy is based on the urban myth that if you’re approached by a group of muggers you should act like a lunatic, as that’ll confuse them and make them go away. How else … Continue reading
August 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
15 Comments
Two interesting – and thematically related – pieces look at past conflicts in relation the the Georgia / Russia spat over the last couple of days have prompted some thoughts along the old comparative history line (always an interesting intellectual … Continue reading
August 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Ah… The 2007 accession states of Bulgaria and Romania… What to make of them? At the time I was both optimistic and pessimistic all at once. A year and a half on…? After Bulgaria being told off last month (for, … Continue reading
August 20, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
There’s a rather good look at blogland’s attempts to cover strange going ons in faraway lands of which they know little from the chap behind tip-top Central Asia blog Registan, which is well worth reading in full: “Elite bloggers often … Continue reading
August 19, 2008
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
What way forward after the Georgia crisis? Continue reading
August 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
Yesterday’s Observer was on really rather good form, with a decent long article amply demonstrating the human cost – easy to forget when trying to work out the wider geopolitical remifications: “They sifted out villagers with Georgian surnames, immediately executing … Continue reading
August 16, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Over the last few days, my post linking the Georgia / Russia dispute over South Ossetia into the politics of energy supply has received a sizable amount of traffic, largely thanks to the funky pipeline maps I dug out. As … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
From the press conference held by Condoleezza Rice this afternoon on the South Ossetia situation: “the way that Russia has brutally pushed this military operation well beyond the bounds of anything that might have related to South Ossetia calls into … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
12 Comments
As we all try to work out what Russia thought she was doing by invading Georgia, another question springs to mind: What is Russia for? Continue reading
August 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
So, despite the apparent truce following Moscow’s insanely over-the-top response to Georgia’s silly South Ossetian venture, it sounds like Russia’s still “peacekeeping” in Georgian territory. This is otherwise known as “invading a sovereign nation just for the hell of it”. … Continue reading
August 11, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
So it seems that Georgia just doesn’t know when she’s beat – although quite what the real situation is there nobody seems to know, as there’s so much disinformation around. Who’s at fault here – Russia or Georgia? The answer’s … Continue reading