We should plan for a 21st century Congress of Vienna
As the Austrian Chancellor Nehammer returns from Moscow after a tough meeting with President Putin on 11th April, I was […]
All in? Kosovo, Albania and the prospects of unification
On 14 February, Kosovo held snap parliamentary elections which the main opposition party, the left-wing nationalist Self-Determination Movement (LVV), won […]
China and African Debt: Behind The Headlines
The increase in Chinese loans to African sovereigns and entities has been marked since the 2008 global financial crisis. Of […]
Coronavirus and Migration Drivers in Africa
The Coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating economic, social and some political tensions across North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Reduced economic growth, substantial reductions in […]
How many straws to break a camel’s back? How do illiberal economies attract so much FDI
Hungary and Poland demonstrate the importance of micro political risks in determining FDI patterns. Investors are not a passive, unified […]
Hungary punching above its weight in regional SEE politics
Hungary has been able to punch above its weight in its neighbourhood to the extent that it is developing its […]
Libya: Conflict and Migration Outlook
Re-escalation in fighting around Tripoli since February has merely reinforced the stalemate between opposing forces, but any political settlement to […]
Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire Agreement – Outlook
An assessment of the recent outbreak of fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces and an outlook […]
The Holy Trinity: Politics, Investments and Energy in Poland
Poland has undergone significant political changes in recent years. Once deemed the poster child of the New Member States of the […]
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Austria and Russia – ending the ‘special relationship’?
Back last April, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It was an impromptu visit. […]
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Explaining the Austrian veto of Schengen membership for Romania and Bulgaria
Never pass up an opportunity to use foreign policy as a prop in domestic theatre. This is the mantra apparently […]
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Turkish result shows that ‘all for one and one for all’ is rarely the best tactic to bring down a strongman
What started with a bang, ended with a whimper. In Turkey, the opposition campaign to win the presidency from Recep […]
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: Ukraine and the ‘Austrian solution’
As negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continue on a potential peace settlement, neutrality has become one of the key items on […]
Wishful vs catastrophic thinking in forecasting: Ostriches, one-eyed bulls, smug Cassandras and therapeutic nihilists
Woe betides the fool faced with the thankless task of forecasting possible futures. Even the very best forecasts, based on […]