THE EU, NATO, TURKEY AND CYPRUS (by Andreas Theophanous). Irrespective of Cyprus, relations between the EU and Turkey constitute an extremely important theme and a critical international issue. Inevitably there are broader and deeper implications and repercussions. Cyprus comes in the equation in several ways. For example, developments revolving around Cyprus as well … MORE
 

CYPRUS NEGOTIATIONS (by Claire Palley). Intractable international problems still arise from disintegration of empires and competing claims for self-determination as with the Kashmir dispute, Palestine and Israel, and States formed from the Tsarist, Russian and Ottoman Empires. Some may appear settled, due to external pressures, economic or military, or because of overwhelming … MORE
 

RUSSIA AND CYPRUS IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN AND REGIONAL SECURITY (by Nadia Alexandrova-Arbatova). Russia’s relations with Cyprus have always been very good, spiritually close and based on mutual respect and friendship. In the past Cyprus as a member of Non-Alignment Movement contributed to the erosion of bipolarity. But the bipolar structure of the … MORE
 

SEPARATE BUT UNEQUAL CITIZENS (by Robert Ellis). Almost 1200 years of Christian civilization in what is now known as Turkey came to an end with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The much lauded millet system which follo-wed, by which the religious communities were allowed to rule themselves, was in fact a system of ‘separate but unequal’. Sharia law prevailed, and the … MORE
 

WHY AND WHAT IS NEXT IN U.S. POLITICS AND POLICY (by Monroe Newman). It is not unusual for a U.S. president’s party to lose representation in Congress, and even control of one or both houses, when the president is not for re-election. In fact, in recent memory, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton experienced this. However, the most recent election was unusual in the scale of the losses … MORE
 

CARROTS AND STICKS MAY NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH (by Amira Schiff). After five months of discussions, the Israeli Palestinian peace talks are once again on hold. Despite the strong motivation of all those involved, including the third party, grounded in fear of the collapse of Abbas’s regime and the West Bank falling into the hands of Hamas extremists, a viable peace agreement remains … MORE
 

SYRIA CALLING: WHAT IS THE RESPONSE (by Sotiris Roussos). Though not in the forefront of the mass media coverage of the Middle East and often overshadowed by more spectacular but not necessarily more important players, Syria remains the key to many issues in the Middle East. The Syrian regime has survived American neo-conservative regime-change assault on the broader … MORE
 

REFLECTIONS ON THE LISBON TREATY ONE YEAR ON: WHILE THE “TRAFFIC JAM” PERSISTS (by Christina Ioannou). A year has already elapsed since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect on December 1st, 2009. It was a day that marked a crucial climax after eight years of strenuous efforts – on the part of EU policy makers – to strike some kind of agreement, not only on the new treaty … MORE