Opinion by Linus Höller* Title image by Reddit user u/JLXuereb The world has entered a new era, and those clambering desperately to the way things were before are doing so in vain. Among the chaos and violence of the new world order in the making – one strikingly alike the Kremlin’s long-professed prediction of a…
Category: Europe
By Linus Höller The foreign ministers of traditionally neutral Austria and Switzerland officially declared their intent to join the German-led “Sky Shield” air defense alliance Friday. The move has reignited debates about what it means to maintain neutrality and is likely to draw criticism from France and Italy for its reliance on American — rather…
This fall promises to be crucial for the future of Bosnia, a country torn by ethnic tensions, a breakaway republic and rampant corruption. Ahead of general elections and an important United Nations vote, I visited this country at the heart of the Balkans to learn more about the struggles it faces – and how the…
When Yugoslavia disintegrated, it left behind one of the most unusual states in the world. Bosnia and Herzegovina not only consists of two and a half “countries within the country,” but also has three simultaneous presidents, fourteen parliaments and a supreme leader appointed by the U.S. and EU. In this explainer, we take a deep…
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a crime not just against Ukraine, but against civility and the Russian people themselves, says Dimitri Androssow, a Russian oppositional politician with PARNAS. Read TWU’s striking interview here.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was by no stretch of the imagination inevitable, but the factors that culminated in Putin eventually giving his troops the “go” were a long time in the making and include old territorial grievances, more recent Russian concerns about NATO and a healthy dose of authoritarianism. Let’s break down some key facts underlying the invasion.
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party planned ahead: Some of their first major actions targeted the independence of the courts. Now, there are few ways for citizens to fight more direct attacks on civil society.
By Linus Hoeller, Northwestern University Reports Without Borders consistently ranks Austria among the best countries when it comes to press freedom in their annual investigations. In RSF’s 2021 report, Austria ranked 17th – putting into the second-highest bracket of countries altogether and near the top even of the European countries[1]. Curiously, there are some discrepancies…
It’s always election season in Europe – dozens of competitive multi-party democracies packed onto a single continent will do that. Among those heading to the polls later this year are the Germans, choosing the future path for Europe’s most populous country and main economic powerhouse with great sway in the EU’s politics. Recently, the German…
By Linus Hoeller, Northwestern University Few political words raise such intense emotions as “communism” and “socialism.” A common buzzword in elections in the U.S. and around the world alike, they are also really existing and nuanced ideologies. Because of the politicization of the mere terms, some clarity has been lost about where – if anywhere…