Beyond Europe

03/10/2015

By Madalina Sisu Vicari, (with the collaboration of Roxana Hincu, PhD Candidate, “Al.I. Cuza” University, Romania) On July 26, 2015, which marked the Naval Day in Russia, Kremlin released the country’s new ... Be More Curious...

Russians are finally in Syria; a game-changing move?

Brad Cabana

01/10/2015

by Brad Cabana January, 2011, the Syrian civil war began. Not as an armed conflict, but rather as small protests that grew into large protests against the national government. Nearly five years later the country has been torn to pieces, its people displaced... Be More Curious...

Is Lebanon going to fall?

16/09/2015

Beyond Europe

By Isabelle Panasi The Lebanese are in the streets. These people, facing very hard times, claim social and economical changes. However, what they really want is the resignation of the government, where the p... Be More Curious...

Unless ISIL is gone, migration to Europe won’t stop

08/09/2015

Beyond Europe

photo source: ibtimes by Christos Mouzeviris A few days ago, a drowned child’s picture on the coast of Turkey, became the tragic poster of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. The three year old Aylan Kurdi’... Be More Curious...

Takes Two to Tango: Putin and Assad’s Dangerous Alliance

07/09/2015

by Erielle Delzer Following Russia’s rotation into the monthly presidency position at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on September 1st, where Russia’s main stated goal is to counter international terrorism, President Vladimir Putin has announced th... Be More Curious...

Russia’s military presence in Kazakhstan; old Soviet legacy or way to secure more influence?

24/08/2015

photo source: huffingtonpost by Mia Tarp Hansen There are quite a few ongoing Russian military related activities in Kazakhstan. This includes several bases, as well as the famous cosmodrome Baikonur, which... Be More Curious...

Aggregating Western interests for the Nord Stream 2- a successful tactic?

17/08/2015

photo source: gazprom by Madalina Sisu Vicari The announcement made on August 12 by Rainer Seele, the new CEO of Austria’s oil and gas group OMV, that his company would cooperate with Gazprom on the Nord St... Be More Curious...

Israel: Threats and Opportunities in Syria

03/08/2015

Israel

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe by Thomas Baron The idea that President Assad will step down from power and a secular, peaceful, and democratic coalition government will take his place has long sinc... Be More Curious...

Picturing the Evil – Europe’s unwanted Misconception of Russia

30/07/2015

photo source: telegraph by O. Krumme-Garcia Last Sunday, Russia celebrated its National Navy Day and President Vladimir Putin attended the fleet show in the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia’s exclave at the Balti... Be More Curious...

Russia, Iran and the Gas Stake: Friends or Foes?

25/07/2015

Iran, Russia

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe by Madalina Sisu Vicari & Azime Telli ( PhD, Lecturer at Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey) Iran's agre... Be More Curious...

Turkish Stream: Greek Lifeline or Russian Trojan Horse?

16/07/2015

Turkey

photo source: tenva by Eren Alp The term “Grexit”, Greece’s catastrophic exit from the Euro-Zone as a result of its financial woes, is all everyone is talking about. The worst case scenario which sees Greece returning to its old currency, the drachma, s... Be More Curious...

The eastwards shift: Russia’s energy cooperation with China

13/07/2015

photo source: thebricspost by Madalina Sisu Vicari The need for an increased presence in Asia’s energy markets The gas agreement between Russia and China concluded in 2014, has been given a n... Be More Curious...

Turkey’s Construction Bubble; end of Erdogan’s Dream?

27/05/2015

Turkey

(Photo taken from businessht.com.tr) by Eren Alp With only a few days to go before Turkey’s pivotal parliamentary elections, the main opposition party, the CHP, announced on the 21st of May its plans to ... Be More Curious...

Putin’s Euro-Asian Union between the EU and China

13/05/2015

(Photo taken from yahoo.com) by Madalina Sisu Vicari The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) stemmed from a series of initiatives which aimed at integrate the countries of the former Soviet Union into a regional regime while maintaining Russia’s traditional in... Be More Curious...

Nuclear deal to lead Iran interfering in internal affairs of its neighbors?

10/05/2015

Iran

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe by Naveed Ahmad Tehran seems in festive mood over the likely nuclear deal. US Secretary of State John Kerry and hi... Be More Curious...

ISIS: Iran’s Trojan Horse?

01/05/2015

Iran

DISCLAIMER: all opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe by M. Behzad Fatmi / @BehzadFatmi Islamic State to Iran is what Al Qaeda has been to America. The analogy might no... Be More Curious...

Europe: in desperate need for the Eastern Shield?

29/04/2015

Beyond Europe

(Photo taken from debatingeurope.eu) by Roman Rukomeda The European and global security has failed after Russia has started the hybrid and then open war against Ukraine in 2014. Now Europe is living in new security reality no matter European ca... Be More Curious...

Russia: short of breath for Turkish Stream?

26/04/2015

(Photo taken from timesofisrael.com) by Piotr Stepinski & Wojciech Jakóbik (BiznesAlert.pl Editor in Chief. Energy analyst at Jagiellonian Institute) In December 2014 Russia cancelled South Stream pi... Be More Curious...

Greece’s Russian affair: a divorce with Europe?

24/04/2015