Merry Christmas, Romania

Today, 23 December, a 43-year old man jumped from one of the balconies of the Romanian parliament, during a session.

Frontex 4: Raw Material For Securitisation

At the beginning of September a call for expressions of interest in demonstrating at Frontex’s Research and Development workshop “Small UAVs and Fixed systems for Land border surveillance” to take place in Bulgaria on October 19^th appeared at Frontex’s website.

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Frontex 3: A Baby Institution with Super Powers

A brief research on what Frontex mandate includes today exposes an organisation, which in five years of existence, has astonishingly grown from marginal into a giant at the heart of migration and security policy as well as European external relations.

Frontex 2: Rising into the heart of European security politics

The anxiety of the voice on the other side of the line intensifies when it becomes clear that this phone call is about Frontex. “We have no clear picture who controls them and what is the extent of responsibility Frontex ought to take” says Franziska Keller, Member of the European Parliament with the alliance of Greens/European Free Alliance.

FRONTEX 1: Looking for a permanent crisis, to settle in

Five years after its birth Frontexis rising into the heart of European Security Politics. But while praise is arriving from European Member States for its contribution and professional approach in curbing migration influxes in Europe, important questions about the structure, policies and strategies of the organisation remain out of the spotlight…

Το Βελιγραδι απο τη δυση στην ανατολη

Ο ψηλός με το περίεργο ραδιενεργό ξανθό τσουλούφι και το βαριεστημένο μισομεθυσμένο βλέμμα που κάθεται απέναντι είναι αυτή τη στιγμή μια απο της πιο αναγνωρίσιμες φάτσες στη Σερβία. Δεν θα στοιχημάτιζα σε αυτό ούτε τα τελευταία πέντε μου ευρώ εάν δεν με πληροφορούσαν ότι πρόκειται για το μεγάλο χαμένο του Σέρβικου Μπικ Μπραδερ που παρεμπιπτόντως ήταν ένα απο τα πιο δημοφιλή προγράμματα στη χώρα. Τώρα το πως ένα δυτικοφερτο σόου έχει τέτοια πέραση σε μια χώρα που περισσότεροι απο τους μισούς κατοίκους νιώθουν αναγούλα στο άκουσμα της λέξης ‘δύση’ χωράει πολύ κουβέντα. Αργότερα στο ίδιο πάρτι ο Σάσα, ένας καλόκαρδος πιτσιρικάς που κόβοντας τον νομίζεις ότι δεν θα πείραζε ούτε μυρμήγκι εξομολογείται μεθυσμένα ‘εδώ στη Σερβία περιμένουμε πως και πως να σας κάνουν καμιά αλητεία οι Αλβανοί, δικέ μου εσείς οι Έλληνες θα τους λιώσετε, εμάς μας βρήκαν αδύναμους και μόνους και μας την φέρανε αλλά εσείς θα τους λιώσετε, και μετά τους λιώνουμε και παρέα.»

The Balkans are in need of a modern paradigm

Apostolis Fotiadis

Some days ago the Turkish airlines declared interest to purchase the Serbian national carrier ‘JAT’. The same time the uncertain attempt of Greece to tap the bailout mechanism has spread panic in the country and beyond, deepening the undergoing crisis of the monetary union. Beyond their news worthy value, both are consequences provoked by gigantic geopolitical processes that rapidly shape tomorrow’s world. The first one is the result of Turkey’s steady return as a sincere regional power cemented in the strategic doctrine of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu’s, that envisages the future of his country as a core regional power with ever increasing global ambitions. A strategy pursued by a sophisticated foreign policy that promotes the country’s economic interests and attempts to cure Turkey’s old wounds. Initiatives in the Middle East, rapprochement with Syria and opening up to Iraq, opting for a mediator’s position between the West and Iran over its nuclear ambitions and taking on Israel, because of its aggression against Lebanon and Palestine in various occasions, have been somewhat spectacular and attracted more public attention.

Severe Cuts Prove Romanian Government’s Weakness

by Claudia Ciobanu first published on Socialist worker

http://socialistworker.org/2010/06/01/victims-of-romanian-crisis

The Romanian government plans to cut 25 percent of salaries of state employees and 15 percent of pensions and state assistance (including unemployment benefits and mothers’ allowances). Romanian President Traian Basescu announced the cuts in early May, after negotiations with the IMF delegation. In a final assault against common sense and decency, the government is invoking “national security” concerns to legally justify the pension cuts.

Authoritarianism consolidates in Bulgaria

The authoritarian tendencies of the populist Borissov government in Bulgaria are becoming blatantly obvious after the recent developments:

– A spate of spectacular arrests against former government ministers, officials and magistrates were carried out by the police. Footage of the Hollywood-style nighttime raids was made available on the Ministry of Interior website and relayed by mass media. On one memorable occasion, Chief Prosecutor for the District of Sofia, Roman Vassilev, ordered the former defence minister on the floor and called him a “criminal”. He was later reprimanded by his superiors but such behaviour is more and more appreciated by the public at large. Online forums are bristling with calls for retribution and calls for summary justice (though my sample is very limited and, admittedly, there are those who are outraged by the brutal display of force by the police and government)

Why Nick Clegg? The Dilemma of the British Left

For Romanian speakers only, http://www.paralele-paralele.com/2010/04/guest-post-de-ce-clegg-dilema.html
It’s a guest post about the Clegg/Brown choice among the British left, published in a blog that supports Cameron. Full text below.