The Other Point of View
In Bulgaria, as in other places, the old ideal of media objectivity is giving way to the F-effect.
Upheaval in Belarus
“Belarus Will Never Be the Same”
The number of social groups involved in the Belarusian protest movement guarantees a broad front, but it also makes the emerging coalition internally fragile. From openDemocracy.
11 Reasons Belarusians Should Be Proud
On the streets of Minsk, some are crying in fear, others for joy. Politics aside, they should all be proud of their country. From CityDog.by.
Belarus on a Knife’s Edge
It is not clear if the opposition to Lukashenka has a cohesive organizational underground capable of coordinating a sustained campaign of resistance.
Out of Touch
By not inviting international election observers, Lukashenka made an early statement that he would try to hold onto power no matter what. But he might have miscalculated this time.
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Around the Bloc
Thursday, 27 August
Regional headlines: Putin mulls intervention in Belarus; Mladic harangues court; constitutional amendments in Bulgaria; a charities ban in Uzbekistan; and Liechtenstein vs. Czechia.
Wednesday, 26 August
Regional headlines: Russian businessman threatens Navalny; Ukraine’s Hasidic pilgrimage; a controversial hotel in Bosnia; Sweden and the Baltics; and an innovative approach at Warsaw’s zoo.
Tuesday, 25 August
Regional headlines: Mladic appeals genocide verdict; Austria expels Russian diplomat; Central Asian tourism and COVID-19; bitcoin compensation for flight delays; and Estonian forests.
Monday, 24 August
Regional headlines: opposition figures detained in Belarus; Navalny moved to German hospital; Hungary and Germany; Rijeka’s low-key Capital of Culture events; and controversial development plans for Yerevan.
Friday, 21 August
Regional headlines: Navalny remains in Omsk hospital; dangerous chemicals in Romania; money laundering in Ukraine; and coronavirus in Abkhazia and Croatia.
Commentary
The Wrong Way to Interpret Belarus
As events in Minsk and across the country are proving, not all politics is geopolitics.
Words on the Rule of Law
On the surface, the EU budget summit smoothed over the friction between Brussels and the bloc’s problem children. Deeper down, the rift may be growing.
Homegrown Mendacity
Russia and China get much of the attention, but locally produced disinformation shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.
Latest News
Paradise Within Four Walls
Sentiment grows to declare the house of naive painter Polina Rayko a national cultural monument of Ukraine. From Vhoru, a Kherson-based news outlet.
When Ideologies Clashed, Bosnia Suffered
An American lawyer/ethnographer’s groundbreaking book illuminates the universal features of jihadi movements while eliding their violence and fanaticism.
“Either the Child or Us”: Armenia’s Abandoned Babies
Legal protections for mothers and renewed efforts from civil society are persuading more and more parents not to sent their disabled babies to orphanages. From Medialab.am.
Documentary Exposes the Threat of Facial Recognition Surveillance in Serbia
Surveillance “really challenges your sense of dignity.” From Global Voices.
COVID-19 Aid: Turkey’s New Political Battleground
While opposition parties say the government has cracked down on local attempts to distribute aid, the president talks about preventing a “state within a state.”
Art Bazaar: A Lifeline for Artists
Central Asia creatives are combating the effects of COVID-19 with an online marketplace.
