Eastern Europe
The failure of Russia’s free-market pension reform
By Vladimir Volkov, August 17, 2009
The dismal failure of Putin’s pension reform is having a profound impact on the social consciousness of the Russian working class.
Lithuania leads Baltic economic slump
By Jordan Shilton, August 11, 2009
Economies in the Baltic region are set to suffer steep declines in output this year. On July 28, Lithuania released economic figures for the second quarter of 2009, revealing a year-on-year contractio...
Republic of Moldova: Pro European Union forces win parliamentary election
By Markus Salzman, August 8, 2009
In the Republic of Moldova, opposition parties oriented to the West won with a slender majority in the country's second parliamentary election within four months.
Great power rivalries and the Nabucco pipeline project
By Niall Green, August 1, 2009
The Nabucco natural gas pipeline will traverse Turkey to supply Western Europe, bypassing Russia.
Violence increases in Russia’s Caucasus republics
By Niall Green, July 31, 2009
A recent spike in violence between Russian security forces and local militants indicates that Moscow has no plans to loosen its military grip in the North Caucasus.
Hungary: Socialist Party establishes right-wing militias
By Markus Salzmann, July 14, 2009
The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) is introducing so-called “village guards” throughout the countryside. These will be armed and will carry out the functions of the police.
Right-wing opposition wins Bulgarian parliamentary election
By Markus Salzmann, July 13, 2009
The right-wing “Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria” won the parliamentary elections held in Bulgaria last Sunday, with the governing coalition led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party suffe...
Hungary: What accounts for the success of the extreme right?
By Markus Salzmann, June 17, 2009
The election result for the neo-fascist Jobbik organization in Hungary demonstrates how extreme right organizations have been able to exploit the economic and political crisis in Eastern Europe.
Twenty years after the collapse of Stalinism
European politicians stand reality on its head at Vienna gathering
By Markus Salzmann, June 5, 2009
Just days before the European elections June 7, representatives from politics and business met in Vienna to celebrate 20 years since the fall of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe.
Poland: Last shipyards in Gdansk threatened with closure
By Marius Heuser, May 29, 2009
Ceremonies currently taking place marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Stalinist regime in Poland have been overshadowed by shipyard workers protests in Gdansk.
Besancenot in Poland
Polish PPP congress marks lurch to the right by the new European left
By Marius Heuser and Tadeusz Sikorski, May 22, 2009
In a speech given in Katowice, Poland, the head of the NPA (New Anti-capitalist Party) justified his alliance with a group that has no connection with socialism and which includes openly right-wing fo...
Biden in the Balkans: US asserts interests in shattered region
By Paul Mitchell, May 21, 2009
The US administration is moving to reassert its authority in the Balkans as a divided European Union fails to push through the measures that were agreed in the Dayton Accord for this key strategic reg...
