The Obama administration seems to be finally accepting reality when it comes to Russia. President Obama came into office with the utopian idea that a “reset button” could resolve problematic relations with Russia. But Secretary…
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With all the economic fallout from the euro crisis, Euro-skepticism is on the rise both inside and outside of the European Union (EU). Some of those who support European integration in principle may question the…
French President Francois Hollande has taken a bold step toward ending the slaughter in Syria by recognizing the newly formed National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the sole legitimate authority to govern…
I recently presented this paper at a Fulbright conference. Below is the final version that I used to make my presentation. Me presenting this paper at a Fulbright conference. Introduction Structural functionalism is an…
Introduction Free trade has become more and more the reality around the world in today’s era of globalization. It has been the driving force behind unparalleled economic growth in many countries. However, in many arenas…
Intervention in internal conflicts is a nasty business, often with many unforeseen consequences. Such intervention is frequently unsuccessful. Such intervention often fails because intervening troops have an inadequate mandate, their forces are not sufficiently armed,…
The former Soviet republic Belarus has yet to achieve meaningful democratization. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described it as “the last remaining true dictatorship in Europe” (CNN 2005). Since President Alexander Lukashenko took power in…
Russias party system was extremely fragmented in the 1990s, with electoral volatility at an all time high and large numbers of politicians who achieved victory without party affiliation (Gel’man 2008, 913-914). As Russia’s system of…
Dmitri Rogozin, the Russian envoy to NATO, speaking of a NATO defense plan for the Baltic states, recently asked, “Against who else could such a defense be intended? Against Sweden, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, against polar…
Both the Middle East and the Caucasus are filled with discontent, instability, and terrorism. These two regions, so different culturally and historically, have three common sources of instability and violence. First, both regions are unstable…