Politics

A New Town in Socialist Yugoslavia in comparative perspective

25/04/2017

Socialist towns in Yugoslavia: Ana Kladnik discusses with Andreas Guidi the case of Velenje in Slovenia

Turkey: “Say no!”

14/04/2017 -  Dimitri Bettoni Istanbul

On the eve of the constitutional referendum in Turkey, Yordam Kitap publishing house issues Wolfgang Borchert’s manifesto, giving it the emblematic title “Say no!”. An interview with editorial director Hayri Erdoğan

Belgrade's voices of protest

14/04/2017 -  Giovanni Vale Belgrade

Having decided to protest until the bitter end, the students of Serbia have received the support of both the police union and the military - "Against dictatorship", against nepotism and corruption

Serbia: propaganda and control on the web

28/03/2017 -  Rossella Vignola

The impact of cyber-attacks, digital surveillance and sophisticated techniques of computational propaganda is growing. The case of Serbia in an interview with Vladan Joler, director of Share Foundation

Greece: Golden Dawn not willing to fade

27/03/2017 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

Despite the arrest of its leadership, on trial for the murder of rapper Pavlos Fyssas, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn movement continues to have support in the impoverished Greek society

Between institutions and movements, the challenges of Moldovan feminism

08/03/2017 -  Francesco Brusa

A conversation with two women, Valentina Borug and Victoria Apostol, on their strategies to lead the way in the debate on feminism and gender issues in Moldova

Defending in Court the case of humanitarian visas for refugees

06/03/2017 -  Francesca Spinelli

The EU Court of Justice Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi demonstrated that governments are legally obliged to grant asylum to Syrian refugees. In a landmark verdict to be delivered on 7 March, the Court could decide to adopt Mengozzi’s arguments or to strike a blow to the hopes of so many Syrians

Azerbaijan: a 21st century dynasty

01/03/2017 -  Arzu Geybullaeva

President Ilham Aliyev has recently appointed his wife to the position of vice-president of the country, confirming that Azerbaijan is, slowly but steadily, turning from a democracy into a monarchy

A tale of 8 militant asylum seekers. Another episode in the Greek-Turkish relations drama

23/02/2017 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

After the July 2016 failed military coup, 8 Turkish servicemen requested asylum in Greece. The case sparked new tension in the traditionally strained relationship between Athens and Ankara

Hürriyet daily censors Orhan Pamuk "No" to constitutional referendum

15/02/2017

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk confirmed that Hürriyet newspaper censored his interview in which he declared that he would vote “no” in constitutional amendment referendum

Serbia: the hard fight for information

13/02/2017 -  Maja Poznatov

Even though there is a good institutional and legislative framework defending the right to access information of public interest, some crucial issues are still unresolved

Refugees in Europe: “Let's not make it a battle of the bottom feeders”

07/02/2017 -  Fazıla Mat

More Eu funds are needed to support reception measures for refugees as well as European citizens experiencing poverty. Interview with Brando Benifei, Italian MEP, on the management of the refugees crisis in Europe

Viktor Ivančić: media, democracy, and politics

13/03/2017 -  Sven Milekić Zagreb

All-out interview with Viktor Ivančić, one of the founders of the legendary weekly Feral Tribune. The media in Croatia, the Balkans, and former Yugoslavia. The risks for democracy

Macedonia, stalemate continues

23/01/2017 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski

Last December snap elections left Macedonia deeply divided: now the political dispute risks turning into an ethnic one, while further earlyh elections can not be excluded

Serbia: the moral damage of the Interior Minister

16/01/2017 -  Antonela Riha Belgrado

Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović sued the weekly NIN and won the case for moral damages as a result of a cover dedicated to Savamala scandal

Turkey: between "traitors" and "heroes"

20/01/2017 -  Chiara Maritato

Post-coup Turkey is increasingly shaping up as a divided country, where everyone must side with the "heroes" to avoid being branded as a "traitor". An analysis

Elections in Macedonia, Special Prosecutor’s Office berated as opposition’s proxy

08/12/2016 -  Ilcho Cvetanoski

As 11th December early elections are getting closer, the Macedonian Special Prosecutor’s Office came under attack from ruling VMRO, which claims the office is supporting the opposition's campaign

The upcoming presidential election in Transnistria

01/12/2016 -  Giorgio Comai

Presidential elections in Transnistria are scheduled for 11 December 2016. With substantial overlapping in the programmes of the two main contenders, the decisive factor are pro-Russian credentials

Romania: public broadcaster threatened by populism

31/10/2016 -  Marina Constantinoiu

A few weeks before the elections, the Romanian Parliament abolished the radio-television fee posing the public broadcaster under direct financing from the state budget

Srebrenica, the weight of a vote

23/11/2016 -  Alfredo Sasso

The local elections of October 2nd brought Srebrenica its first Serbian mayor, supported by a coalition of nationalist parties

Bulgaria, amid presidential elections and the referendum

03/11/2016 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

On November 6, Bulgarians vote for the Head of State but also to answer three questions in a referendum proposed by a television showman

Our man in Moldova

21/10/2016 -  Eleanor KnottMihai Popșoi

In courting the country’s most loathed oligarch, the EU and US will only lose the sympathy of ordinary Moldovans

Hungary, after the referendum

07/11/2016 -  Marzia Bona

After a controversial and divisive referendum, what is the outlook for Hungary and the region on the subject of refugees? We interviewed Gábor Gyulai, of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee

Bosnia and Herzegovina: the return of Fikret Abdić

08/11/2016 -  Alfredo Sasso

Founder of Agrokomerc, sentenced to 10 years for war crimes, Fikret Abdić, the new mayor of his hometown Velika Kladuša, visited Sarajevo after 23 years to officialize his new position

Turkey, the coup seen by CNN Turk

14/10/2016 -  Dimitri Bettoni Istanbul

The journalists of the Turkish CNN experienced first hand the attempted coup, since their premises were occupied by the coup leaders. Interview with Ferhat Boratav, managing editor of CNN Turk

Azerbaijan: autocracy, before and after the referendum

29/09/2016 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

The referendum held on September 26 in Azerbaijan confirmed the adoption of 29 constitutional amendments, strengthening the power of the ruling elite

Government steps up its “no” campaign

28/09/2016 -  Yann Schreiber

On 2 October, Hungary will vote on a EU refugee distribution scheme. The government, who is calling on the population to reject the Commission's proposal, recently stepped up a taxpayer-funded campaign many say is xenophobic and fear-mongering

Fleeing Romanians: The Story of Those Who Made It Over the Border

14/09/2016 -  Marina ConstantinoiuIstvan Deak

Twenty-seven years ago, Western Europe welcomed European brethren escaping from Eastern European regimes, relegated to living in oppressive communist regimes

Azerbaijan: Aliyev-style referendum

31/08/2016 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Attempts to strengthen the regime in Azerbaijan: a forthcoming referendum aims to prolong the presidential term and to lower to 18 years the minimum age to be elected President

Enver Kazaz: Turkophilia in the Bosniak mentality

01/09/2016 -  Eldin Hadžović

Enver Kazaz, Professor of Literature at the Philosophy Faculty at the University of Sarajevo, talks about the reactions of the Bosniak political and academic elite to the recent attempted coup d’etat in Turkey