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: Austria struggles to kick addiction to Russian gas
On September 7, the EU’s permanent representative to Austria, Martin Selmayr, provoked controversy by saying that Austria’s continued high dependence on Russian gas […]
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 […]