The New Federalist

What is really happening in Belarus?

A JEF (Young European Federalists) activist in Minsk describes the situation in Belarus during the elections and the following days. Read this inside description of what is really happening in one of Europe’s neighbour states. Election day 19 Dec 2010 - Belarus bloody Sunday Media are full (…)

Tuesday 21 December 2010

An American in Minsk

During my first month in Minsk, I ran into another American living there one evening in the Café Bierioska on Victory Square. He commented that being in Minsk was like going back in time. Though I hadn’t really thought about it before then, Minsk does retain many qualities of its Soviet Era (…)

Monday 20 December 2010

Belarusians want changes: but how badly?

There are several indications that the relatively passive Belarusian population favors fundamental changes in political and economic life. Some activists, such as presidential candidate, Andrei Sannikau, perceive a groundswell of popular sentiment that could sweep away the Lukashenka leadership (…)

Saturday 18 December 2010

JEF Free Belarus Action – as silent as a loud voice for democracy

Yesterday in over 100 cities all over the world young people are demanding democracy for Belarus. Thousands of statues are being gagged – symbolically prevented from speaking, to symbolise the situation of our European neighbours. Just 3 days prior to the presidential elections, inside (…)

Friday 17 December 2010

EU and Belarus - 5 Theses

President Alexander Lukashenko is in power in Belarus since 1994. With his reign becoming more and more authoritarian and an ever deteriorating political and human rights situation, the European Union, as well as other international actors are attempting to find an appropriate policy to deal (…)

Friday 17 December 2010

Belarusian Utopia / Беларуская ўтопія

Early in the gloomy morning of December 20th, the news spread at the speed of light. They started to light up the sky of Belarus before reaching the rest of Europe. The world realised with stupefaction and joy that Alexander Lukashenko was no longer in power. The cries of joy in Belarus and (…)

Wednesday 15 December 2010

The empty chair, but Democratic Vistas radiate

The chair for Liu Xiaobo was empty at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on 10 December 2010, and there were a few other empty chairs of ambassadors from countries that had been constantly warned by Chinese emissaries that attendance at the ceremony would be considered an unfriendly act. However the (…)

Monday 13 December 2010

COP 16 Cancún - All for one and one for all

Expectations about the outcome of COP 16 in Cancún, Mexico are low. A sad prospect considering the fact that Climate Change is one of the biggest threats to our future and we have very little time to fight it. A different approach is necessary; we need a common solution for a common problem. (…)

Saturday 11 December 2010

The OSCE looks East

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held its first Summit Review Conference in 11 years on 1-2 December 2010. Without surprise, the leaders of the 56 member states reaffirmed all the common values and urged that “increased efforts should be made to resolve existing (…)

Thursday 9 December 2010

From dusk of the Euro-Crisis till dawn of European Federalism

Let’s not use common impeachments like “abyss”, “break-up of the Eurozone” or “Euro culprits”, let’s try a different angle for a change: This is a historically difficult stage of the European Currency Union, but solutions are already at hand. Solutions long demanded for by federalists and (…)

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Is the COP the right tool to tackle global warming?

The COP, Conference of the Parties, is an annual meeting promoted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its purpose is to discuss strategies of fighting global warming and pollution; the (in)famous meeting that took place in Japan and resulted in the signing of the “Kyoto (…)

Sunday 5 December 2010

A step-wise approach to tackle climate change will simply not suffice

Reading the media coverage and the official government statements in the lead-up to the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Cancún was a confronting experience. If the expectations among delegates were not very high last (…)

Friday 3 December 2010
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