Spotlight on Geopolitics – Spotlight on Geopolitics by Florian Pantazi

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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External Relations

, Australia, China, Russia, USA

In Khrushchev’s Footsteps…

October 11, 2017

Nina Khrushcheva has recently written a commentary on Project Syndicate, dealing with the madman theory of international relations. This approach – consisting of scaring one’s enemies and getting one’s allies to fall into line – has apparently been practised in the past by both Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon. Like Trump, Khrushchev brought the world… » read more

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External Relations

, Security, USA

Western Diplomacy and the North Korean Nuclear Menace

September 10, 2017

The current North Korean threat highlights one of the most troubling shortcomings facing today’s Western governments : the almost total inability of diplomacy to help solve such crises. For thousands of years, various states in different periods of history have nurtured the development of a special class of bureaucrats, employed exclusively in the diplomatic service.… » read more

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External Relations

, ASEAN, Asia, E.U., neoliberalism, Security, USA

A possible blueprint for preserving peace in Europe

August 2, 2017

Remember Montesquieu and his “doux commerce” ? “L’effet naturel du commerce est de porter à la paix. Deux nations qui négocient ensemble, se rendent réciproquement dépendantes: si l’une a intérêt d’acheter, l’autre a intérêt de vendre; et toutes les unions sont fondées sur des besoins mutuelles. Mais si l’esprit de commerce unit les nations, il… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, E.U., Russia, Security, USA

Three Seas or Five Seas Initiative ?

July 6, 2017

Polish President Andrzej Duda’s Three Seas Initiative project is a logical outcome of the European Union’s eastward expansion since the turn of the millennium. To observers in the former Soviet satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe, the expansion of the EU looks very much like a “drang nach Osten” affair minus the tanks, that… » read more

Posted by Spotlight on Geopolitics

External Relations

, Central Europe, E.U.

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