Word: unionism
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Since the breakup of The Soviet Union in 1991, its former republics have attempted to take different political directions. Most came together in the Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.), which is still led by Russia. The Baltic nations joined NATO and the European Union in 2004--a course Ukraine and Georgia have flirted with recently--while the resource-rich Central Asian republics have remained largely loyal to Moscow. But after the invasion of Georgia, former members of the U.S.S.R. face an inescapable truth: you can't run from geography. Try as they might to move closer to Europe, many...
...respond to a resurgent Russia. "An uncoordinated mess," is how Robin Shepherd, head of the European program at Chatham House, the London-based think tank, described Europe's response to Russia's incursion into Georgia on Aug. 7. "There is complete disunity in the E.U." Not only is the Union's decision making structure inherently unwieldy, but there is a sharp political division evident between countries formerly occupied by the Soviet Union, backed by Britain and Scandinavia, and Western European powerhouses such as France and Germany - the former more inclined to confront Moscow and demand a tough response; the latter...
...Russia's action has raised the level of insecurity felt along Europe's eastern edge, and is likely to reinforce support from the member states formerly dominated by the Soviet Union for Georgia and Ukraine to be granted NATO membership - a red-line issue for Russia. France and Germany have urged caution, fearing that both former Russian territories could drag the alliance into conflict with Moscow. While hawkish voices in the U.S. suggest that Russia would have been deterred from attacking Georgia had it and Ukraine been on track for NATO membership, France and Germany see things quite differently...
...part, the Bush Administration suggests that the Venezuelan government is hardly in a position to lecture the U.S. about double standards given Chavez's own unabashed support of Colombia's Marxist FARC guerrillas, which both Washington and the European Union have designated as terrorists. Though Chavez denies it, laptop computers seized from FARC commanders indicate Chavez has given the rebels, best known today for their kidnapping and drug-trafficking activities, significant political and financial...
...ongoing political contest to a new arena. "What we are witnessing is a power struggle," says political analyst Isaiah Sithole. "Mugabe is trying to cheat Tsvangirai into believing that he will be in charge. But Tsvangirai smells a rat." Chaka Bosha, a journalist and political analyst with the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, concurred with that pessimistic assessment. Bosha also warned that, in a week when Zimbabwe's inflation hit 11.2 million percent, up from 2.2 million percent in May, any delay in resolving the question of who rules Zimbabwe will only prolong the suffering of its citizens. Zimbabwe needs...