Eastern Europe
The Kremlin on Thursday said Ukraine should stick to existing gas deals with Russia, drawing a line on a divisive issue expected to be in focus during Viktor Yanukovich's first visit to Moscow as Ukraine's president. While it marks a fresh start in political ties that soured under Yanukovich's pro-Western predecessor, the visit may be dominated by economic issues such as cash-strapped Ukraine's bills for Russian natural gas. Yanukovich, inaugurated last week, comes to Russia days after his first foreign trip as head of state, to Brussels, where he pledged to keep Ukraine on the reform path and ensure it remains a reliable gas transit route. Europe, which gets a fifth of its gas needs from Russia via Ukraine, is hoping Yanukovich's more pro-Russian stance can guarantee he will avoid repeating the price disputes which led to supply cuts to Europe in recent years. But many analysts believe Kiev's desperate public finances mean Yanukovich must change a long-term gas deal signed in 2009 by his election rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which made Russian gas more expensive for Ukraine than for most European countries. – Reuters
As we seek to educate leaders and policymakers about how to meet the global challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) conducts briefings for candidates of both political parties, as well as sitting members of Congress and their staff of both political parties.
FPI briefings bring the experience and expertise of Washington’s leading foreign policy thinkers to current and aspiring members of Congress. The sessions, which can range from an hour to a half-day, are personally tailored to the interests of those being briefed. FPI will make available experts on the major foreign policy challenges facing the United States including topics such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, and Russia, among other issues. We are prepared to brief candidates and members of Congress on critical issues ranging from the War on Terror to transatlantic relations and from the defense budget to democracy and human rights.
In conjunction with our briefings, we have developed Foreign Policy 2010, a briefing book available on the FPI website at www.foreignpolicyi.org. This document pulls together articles and op-eds from leading thinkers in each of the key foreign policy issue areas. FPI will be updating the briefing book on a regular basis throughout 2010. To suggest additional articles or content for the briefing book, please email info@foreignpolicyi.org.
To schedule a briefing, please contact Rachel Hoff at rhoff@foreignpolicyi.org or (202) 296-3322.
As we seek to educate leaders
and policymakers about how to meet the global challenges and opportunities of
the 21st century, the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) conducts briefings for
candidates of both political parties, as well as sitting members of
Congress and their staff of both political parties.
FPI briefings bring the
experience and expertise of Washington’s leading foreign policy thinkers to
current and aspiring members of Congress. The sessions, which can range from an
hour to a half-day, are personally tailored to the interests of those being
briefed. FPI will make available experts on the major foreign policy challenges
facing the United States including topics such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan,
China, and Russia, among other issues. We are prepared to brief candidates and
members of Congress on critical issues ranging from the War on Terror to
transatlantic relations and from the defense budget to democracy and human
rights.
<!--break-->
In conjunction with our
briefings, we have developed Foreign Policy 2010, a briefing book
available on the FPI website at www.foreignpolicyi.org. This document pulls together articles and op-eds
from leading thinkers in each of the key foreign policy issue areas. FPI will
be updating the briefing book on a regular basis throughout 2010. To
suggest additional articles or content for the briefing book, please email info@foreignpolicyi.org.
To schedule a briefing,
please contact Rachel Hoff at rhoff@foreignpolicyi.org or (202) 296-3322.
To download Foreign Policy 2010, click here.
The Orange coalition of Western-leaning political factions in Ukraine’s Parliament disintegrated Tuesday, in what could be the first stage in an effort to unseat Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko. Ms. Tymoshenko, who led the coalition, immediately labeled the dissolution illegal, and vowed to continue to lead the “democratic team.” She has so far rebuffed calls for her resignation from Viktor F. Yanukovich, who defeated her in a bitterly contested presidential election last month. But the collapse of the majority coalition in Parliament, which Ms. Tymoshenko led, could seriously undermine her ability to hang on, analysts said. – New York Times
The inauguration of Viktor Yanukovych as Ukraine's president was celebrated in Russian media last week as a long-sought victory for the Kremlin, which tried to put him in office five years ago, only to be thwarted by the mass protests known as the Orange Revolution. Now that he has taken power, though, the man who had been Russia's preferred choice to govern the former Soviet republic could prove to be far less accommodating to Moscow's interests -- and more open to Washington's -- than the Kremlin would like. Breaking with tradition, Yanukovych is scheduled to make his first official trip abroad Monday to Brussels, the seat of the European Union, instead of Moscow, which he will visit Friday. The decision follows a campaign in which he labored to shed his image as a Kremlin lackey and recast himself as a proponent of further integration with Europe as well as closer ties with Russia. – Washington Post
Viktor Yanukovych was inaugurated as Ukraine's president Thursday, five years after his first bid failed amid massive protests over vote fraud. Mr. Yanukovych took the oath of office in the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament that has been the scene of intense maneuvering over the future of his rival Yulia Tymoshenko, who aims to stay on as prime minister…Weeks of negotiations in the back rooms of parliament have failed to produce a coalition against Ms. Tymoshenko. On the eve of Mr. Yanukovych's inauguration, she appeared to taunt his Party of Regions for this failure, challenging its leadership to oust her if they could. "The Party of Regions does not have the votes to carry out this dismissal," Ms. Tymoshenko told a government meeting Wednesday, appearing in a stark red dress instead of the soft tones she is known for wearing. – Associated Press
President-elect Viktor F. Yanukovich of Ukraine, who tried during the campaign to shed his reputation as an obedient Kremlin ally, intends to make his first foreign trip after taking office to Brussels, not Moscow, officials said on Tuesday. Mr. Yanukovich, whose inauguration is on Thursday, is scheduled to visit the headquarters of the European Union next Monday for meetings with senior officials. He is to hold talks with the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy; the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso; and others. Later in the week, he is likely to go to Moscow to see President Dmitri A. Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Yanukovich’s decision to travel to Brussels seems intended to send a message to the country that he is serious about bolstering relations with Europe and that he will not be beholden to Russia. It may also help in his effort to appeal to voters who supported his opponent, Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko. – New York Times
Stephen Schwartz writes:
Americans should pay attention to the unfortunate outcome of UN-EU-OSCE rule in
the Balkans, since the abdication of global responsibility proposed by the
Obama administration is predicated on a greater world-wide role for these
increasingly-discredited international organizations. Kosovo’s independence
should be guaranteed, to defeat radical Islamists who have returned to the
Balkans as a theatre for their malign operations, as well as to hold the line against
Russian scheming in the region. America made a promise to the Kosovars, and the
Kosovars believe that America keeps its promises. The Kosovars should not see
their hope in our integrity disappointed. It's time for EULEX to go
home. – The
Weekly Standard Blog
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Viktor Yanukovych this weekend as soon as the Ukrainian president-elect's challenger dropped a legal battle to block his inauguration. According to the Kremlin, the two men agreed that Mr. Yanukovych would visit Moscow in early March. On Sunday, however, Mr. Yanukovych's aides declined to confirm or deny anything about a visit, though his Web site posted the Kremlin announcement. Hanna Herman, a legislator and a deputy leader of Mr. Yanukovych's Party of Regions, said the president-elect's first priority was to form a new government and deal with domestic problems. The call from the Kremlin on Saturday signals Russia's interest in reasserting a preferential relationship with its former Soviet neighbor. But the reaction in Kiev leaves it unclear in which direction Mr. Yanukovych will tilt Ukraine, a country of 46 million wedged between Russia and the West. – Wall Street Journal
Russia and the Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia signed a deal on Wednesday allowing Moscow to build a military base on its soil, increasing its dependence on its sponsor and stoking tensions with Tbilisi. The base will accommodate at least 3,000 Russian land troops, already stationed in the Black Sea territory, for at least 49 years, Abkhaz officials said. - Reuters
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