Center for European Policy Analysis

Center for European Policy Analysis

Ideas for a Changing Europe

July 24,2008

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
× close

Latest Commentary


  • Radar shield quest
  • 'The Godfather' doctrine

  • Free marketeers must fend off the statists

  • Energy Carrots for Iran: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
  • Dangerous Bargaining

  • NATO's Unhappy Warriors

  • Don't Follow the Fed
  • Poland's Iran Option

  • Pax Corleone

  • Radar Roulette
  • The EU Must Unite to Reduce Gazprom's Leverage
  • Missile Defense: Poland has Less Room to Maneuver
  • The Polish lesson: America must give something in return for support

  • The Case for German-Polish Rapprochement
  • Germany's Awakening

  • Merkel's Momentum: Grading the German EU Presidency

  • Who' s Our Next Best Friend?

  • Talking to Prague about Radar

  • Missile Shield and Alliance Politics

  • Czechs and Balances

  • No Ally Left Behind

  • Europe's Colder Half

Central Europe Digest

The Latest From Central Europe

Hungary Flag

Germany's Baltic Betrayal

Published: 15 July 2008


CEPA analyst Ryan R. Miller throws the spotlight on the planned Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea. On the heels of last week's vote in the European Parliament (EP), Miller contends that the EP's focus on environmental issues masks Germany's Baltic betrayal of Central European interests. "Put bluntly, Nord Stream is a politically-motivated project designed by Moscow to squeeze Poland and the Baltic States," he asserts.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Principled Pragmatism: Germany and NATO Expansion

Published: 15 July 2008


Dr. Patrick Keller of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Berlin argues that Germany's reluctance to grant MAP to Ukraine and Georgia should not be seen as a break with past policies, but rather as a response to changing international circumstances. He describes how a new Russia, a new geopolitical environment for Germany, and a new NATO combine to alter Berlin's attitudes towards further enlargement of the Atlantic alliance.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Nearing a Nabucco-South Stream Merger?

Published: 15 July 2008


CEPA Associate Scholar Neil Barnett posits that OMV’s decision last month to join South Stream could indicate that a Nabucco-South Stream merger is in the cards. Barnett warns that "The geopolitical implications of this growing Russian influence over Black Sea supply routes are troubling at a time when Russia’s actions and rhetoric towards Europe are increasingly bellicose."

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Lisbon Champions vs. Central European Grumblers

Published: 15 July 2008


CEPA Associate Scholar Marek Świerczyński decribes how the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty exposes divisions between the EU’s Franco-German engine and leaders in Poland and the Czech Republic. "When the smoke cleared after June 12, neither of the two Visegrad states was truly saddened by the result," Świerczyński asserts.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Why Missile Defense is Here to Stay

Published: 01 July 2008


A. Wess Mitchell from CEPA explains why the next U.S. president, regardless of party, will understand that having a missile shield based partly in Central Europe will compliment U.S. policy towards Iran. “While keeping MD may not dramatically increase the odds that a diplomatic breakthrough [with Tehran] will occur, taking it off the table increases the odds that it won’t,” Mitchell asserts.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

The Missile Defense Distraction

Published: 01 July 2008


Peter I. Belk argues that planned missile defense sites in Central Europe are a distraction from the task of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons – and the need to bring Russia fully on board. “By taking the high ground on missile defense, the United States can further expose the weakness of the Russian argument on Iran, while at the same time striving for a more cooperative posture with Moscow,” he contends.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

A New Phase in Hungary's Foreign Policy?

Published: 01 July 2008


Géza Jeszenszky, a former Hungarian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States, outlines what Hungarian foreign policy would look like under a conservative Fidesz government. Among other points, Jeszenszky stresses that Fidesz would tilt unambiguously towards Atlanticism, increase cooperation in the Visegrad group and bolster support for Hungarians living in neighboring states.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Romanian Reformers Isolated

Published: 01 July 2008


CEPA Associate Scholar Serban Popescu provides a read-out of last month’s local elections in Romania. Popescu notes that, while the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) of President Basescu won the most mayoral offices, the party appears “politically isolated and unable to garner support for a minority government in the fall.”

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Russia Profits from the Iran Nuclear Standoff

Published: 16 June 2008


CEPA analyst Ryan R. Miller takes issue with those who suggest accommodating Russian interests on Europe's doorstep in exchange for Kremlin support in dealing with Iran. Miller contends that "Russia, to a certain extent, profits from the West’s ongoing standoff with Tehran, and thus may not be so easily tempted by any of these grand bargains."

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Role Models in 'New Europe'

Published: 16 June 2008


CEPA resident scholar Ondrej Schneider outlines the importance of Central European economies for U.S. exporters, noting the contrast between "new" Europe and the "old." He asserts that "If Western Europeans imitated their neighbors’ pro-growth reforms, demand for U.S. products would likely surge."

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Topolanek's Topple?

Published: 16 June 2008


Jiří Pehe from New York University in Prague overviews the problems plaguing the government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. "If the government does manage to survive until the scheduled 2010 elections, it will be weak and inefficient," he asserts. Pehe predicts that parliamentary rejection of the U.S.-Czech missile defense treaty would severely hurt the governing coalition.

Full Article...

 

Hungary Flag

Putin's Peaceniks in Prague?

Published: 16 June 2008


Professor Petr Suchý from Masaryk University discusses the debate in the Czech Republic regarding the placement of a U.S. missile defense radar on Czech soil. Suchý draws historical parallels between today's “peaceniks” and those protesting American missile deployments in the 1980s. Disturbingly, he suggests, the hand of the Kremlin may not be far away.

Full Article...

 

 

 

Sign up for Central Europe Digest!

 

More CED Articles...

Latest Publications


  • The Mice that Roared: How Small Powers are Reacting to, and Shaping, the Transition to Multipolarity

  • Central Europe's Lost Voice in the European Union

  • It Takes Two to Tango: Moving Towards a Polish-American Strategic Partnership
  • Keeping the Tallinn Promise: The Case for Central European Inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

  • Labor Mobility in the European Union: New Members New Challenges

  • Transform or Modernize: Why Polish Military Transformation Matters

  • Mending Fences: Repairing U.S.-Central European Relations After Iraq
All Publications

CEPA In The News

  • Wess Mitchell's interview with Gazeta Wyborcza about missile defense (in Polish)

  • Wess Mitchell in Newsweek Polska, "Anna Fotyga pursues the President's clever mission," (in Polish)

  • Gazeta Wyborcza interview with CEPA's Wess Mitchell: "Only Obama or McCain Can Rebuild Relations with Europe" (in Polish)

  • Ondrej Schneider quoted on need for Czech economic reforms (The Banker)

  • Michael Wyganowski cited on U.S.-Polish negotiations (Arms Control Today)

  • Wess Mitchell cited in CS Monitor regarding NATO summit

  • Ondrej Schneider in Czech paper DNES (in Czech)

  • Speaker of Polish Sejm reacts to Wess Mitchell's comments on missile defense in radio interview (in Polish)

  • Wess Mitchell interviewed about America's approach toward its allies (CS Monitor)

  • Michael Wyganowski on Russia's CFE Treaty suspension (Arms Control Today)

Additional Coverage of CEPA

Copyright © 2007-2008 Center for European Policy Analysis, All Rights Reserved.