“We’re vulnerable to bullshit thrown in the fan,” an eastern European diplomat said, requesting anonymity so as to speak undiplomatically.
Russia
Cold War 2.0: The US Military Is Beefing Up Its Presence in the Former Soviet Bloc
The United States has quietly begun expanding its military footprint in a region that during the Cold War was deep inside the Soviet-controlled Warsaw Pact.
How NATO Really Provoked Putin
From the Kremlin’s point of view, it’s infinitely worse to be ignored than to be considered a worthy rival.
NATO Is Holding the Biggest Exercise in Poland in a Decade, And Russia Is Not Happy
“I expected to go to Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Sergeant Malcolm McEwen, manning a Humvee with mounted Stinger missiles on the banks of the Vistula River.
For Europe, the Party’s Over. It’s Not Clear What Comes Next.
The promise of Europe is over. Paradoxically, German hubris carries a good deal of the blame.
Baltics Look Longingly at NATO
A local politician once compared Lithuania’s move to join the alliance to the extravagant wishes of a poor man to wear a fur coat.
Kaliningrad: Model of Cooperation with EU?
“Kaliningrad could be the best location in Russia — paradise, ” says Viktor Hoffmann. “But we must be open to Europe like Poland or Lithuania.”
Being Cool Has Ruined Berlin
The Berlin I once knew was not the kind of place you raved about. There was no fine dining but plenty of heavy drinking. The beautiful people ran London and Munich and Milan. In Berlin, the punks were in charge.
Vladimir Putin Feels Your Pain
The Kremlin’s call-in program is like a surreal game show where an entire country asks one contestant questions — and his answers are always right.
Germany Can Take That Smug Look Off Its Face
Germans are discovering that their society is not as equitable as they once believed, nor immune to the blather of populists.
