A Culture of Impunity?
The July protests in Serbia led to a slew of allegations of police brutality. Over two months later, critics say justice has still not been served.
Upheaval in Belarus
The Broken Social Contract
How COVID-19 exposed governance gaps in authoritarian states, with Belarus at the top of the list.
“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, 24 September
Regional highlights: protest at Polish mines; Russia’s blacklist grows longer; Hunter Biden and Ukraine; coronavirus in Czechia; and eagle hunting in Mongolia.
Wednesday, 23 September
Regional headlines: Lukashenka sworn in; controversial pension hike in Romania; Russian cult leader arrested; Balkans least accepting of migrants; and a Jewish museum in Azerbaijan.
Tuesday, 22 September
Regional headlines: Roman Abramovich’s secret stakes; Navalny’s recovery; life in jail for Burgas bombers; gambling in Kosovo; and coronavirus in Georgia.
Monday, 21 September
Regional headlines: UN and Belarus; Russian coronavirus treatments; Hungarian loan moratorium; a Romanian book heist; and crypto mining in Abkhazia.
Friday, 18 September
Regional headlines: animal rights in Poland; war of words in Belarus; military games in Eastern Europe; informal payments in Moldova; and Turkmenistan dusts off Parthian past.
Commentary
In Politics, Money Isn’t Everything
Crowdfunding is opening new horizons for democracy in the digital age.
Putin’s Game of Thrones
The poisoning of Alexei Navalny is a grim reminder that Russian politics seems to operate by its own set of rules.
The Other Point of View
In Bulgaria, as in other places, the old ideal of media objectivity is giving way to the F-effect.
Latest News
Myth Busters
Central European sleuths use technology to detect and combat coronavirus disinformation.
The Return of the Turkish Summer House
The pandemic has prompted a revival of an old status symbol, but will it save the flailing tourist industry?
What Went Wrong?
Bosnia seemed to be dealing with the pandemic so well, but that was before politicians started acting like their old selves and the public lost trust (again).
Coalition Redux
North Macedonia’s ruling parties should look familiar, but will their slim majority hold in parliament once EU accession negotiations accelerate?
Parks, Not Plastic
A Moldovan journalist visits Georgia for a look at modern waste management methods in this famously hospitable country. From Moldova’s Diez news site.
Monsters in Our Heads
In Moldova, a tiny volunteer operation runs the country’s sole suicide prevention hotline. From Moldova.org.
