Spotlight on Geopolitics – Spotlight on Geopolitics by Florian Pantazi

China: the Giant Leap Backwards

January 25, 2020

The sudden outbreak of the coronavirus is only the latest misfortune to affect the current Chinese leadership. The other two – continuous unrest in Hong Kong and the electoral victory of the anti-Beijing presidential candidate in Taiwan – have been substantial upsets for Beijing. Truth be told, the outside world had invested in China’s emerging… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, China

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Why the EU should focus on Eurasia

July 15, 2019

Before the start of a fresh Commission and Parliament, it is worth pausing to consider the geopolitical mega shifts underway which will greatly influence Europe’s future. Unfortunately for all EU member states, former Brussels leadership teams have championed many misguided policies and projects, such as the adoption of the euro, the common EU budget, or… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, China, E.U., geoeconomics, Russia

Yes, the EU does have a Big German Problem

May 16, 2019

In a recent interview, German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for the unity of EU members to better face the Union’s major rivals China, Russia and the United States. As matters now stand, according to her, the EU cannot yet convert its economic clout into equivalent political power. In reality however, the EU , through its… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, E.U., Romania

Sibiu: A Summit About Nothing

May 10, 2019

The latest EU summit – which took place yesterday in the medieval town of Sibiu, formerly the seat of power of the German community from Transylvania – was arguably one of the weirdest on record. The official agenda of the EU leaders was to discuss the future of the European Union. This was a strange… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, E.U., Romania

Liberal Democracies : Dictatorships of Minorities

March 1, 2019

“The surprise is not that few democracies are liberal, but that liberal democracies exist at all.” (Dani Rodrik) Making sense of the direction of the evolution of societies has always been a challenge among philosophers and social scientists alike. Before tackling the subject of liberal democracy, viewed here as a dictatorship of minorities, it is… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

democracy, External Relations

, democracy, E.U., neoliberalism, USA

The Agony of Western Democracy

January 17, 2019

The British parliament’s historical anti-Brexit deal vote is the latest act in a series of events affecting the performance of Western democracies worldwide. From the US, France and England in the West to Italy and Greece in the South of the European continent, passing by Hungary, Poland or Romania, Western-style democracies and parliamentary systems are… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

democracy

, UK

Western Elites vs. Russia and China

September 12, 2018

As a geopolitician, I have been tempted for quite a while to consider the anti-Russian and anti-Chinese propaganda in the West as being a reaction to the shift in the global balance of power in the two countries’ favour. Not anymore. Western elites’ irreconcilable differences with Russia and China lie somewhere else altogether. Think about… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, China, E.U., Russia, USA

Italy and the Euro

June 17, 2018

The change of government in Italy calls into question the German leadership of the European Union, which was myopic at best. Italy has never benefited from the introduction of the euro. Its GDP per capita after the introduction of the common currency has stagnated. German-imposed austerity measures and the lack of solidarity among member countries… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, E.U., economics, euro

A Bad Case of Ottomanism

February 22, 2018

When the AKP Islamic Party came to power in Turkey at the turn of the century, the event was saluted by many specialists as a victory for political Islam. For an entire decade, Turkey became a model of Islamic democracy envied by many in the Arab world. The 2011 revolutions were ignited by the hope… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, E.U., Greece, Middle East, NATO, Turkey

Doing Away With Cold War Relics

November 28, 2017

The ongoing US investigation into possible Russian involvement during last year’s presidential election cannot obscure the fact that the world has radically changed since the fall of the Berlin wall. Market economies are now the norm and democratic states, albeit not all of the liberal kind, have surpassed dictatorships and authoritarian countries in number.… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, Australia, China, Russia, USA

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