Conventional Arms Control in Europe: State of Affairs and Prospects In December 3, 2014 the Institute of International Relations in Prague in cooperation with the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague organized the conference “The Impact of the Crisis in Ukraine on the Future of Arms Control”, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Ulrich Kühn from the Hamburg University’s Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy presented his ideas and reflections on the state of affairs of Conventional Arms Control in Europe and the prospects for reviving the regime against the background of the on-going Ukraine conflict. By Ulrich Kühn
The Real Front Line in Ukraine Ukraine’s railway uses a track gauge which is different from that of its western neighbours, so when our trains cross the border into the European Union, passengers have to wait for over an hour for the wheels to be changed. This example is a good metaphor for the state of Ukrainian reforms after the Revolution of Dignity: Ukrainian politics is still a system which runs on the old track gauge. By Svitlana Zalishchuk
Beyond zero-sum thinking in the EU’s Eastern Partnership The European Union’s energy security has been severely tested over the past year. August’s Georgian conflict underlined the possible dangers of diversification into the post-Soviet space, with bombs landing in the vicinity of several crucial gas and oil pipelines including South Caucasus and Baku-Supsa, while the Russian-Ukrainian gas stand-off sent shivers across Europe in January.