News stories and analyses portfolio
Reconstruction. Everyone talks about it but the thing itself appears elusive. There is no doubt it has become imperative for Syria to shift its focus and remaining resources to reconstruction. The status on the field at least allows for it; it was the US President Donald Trump who, back in July, distinctly stressed that ISIS... Continue Reading →
It took three years before the last encounter of the Avengers against a complex, cosmic entity that sought to obliterate the world. Ultron, a form of artificial intelligence, aptly embodied the cynical villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). This was the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after Guardians of the Galaxy (2014),... Continue Reading →
An overview of the public currency debate in Greece Introduction Six years have passed since the agreement of the first bailout programme for Greece. 2010 was also the first year during which the notion of Grexit emerged in the mainstream public discourse both in Greece and abroad, mostly through media reporting and Press headlines. From... Continue Reading →
Interview with Philippe Legrain. In light of the multi-tier Europe prospect raised by EU leaders and officials, political economist and former advisor to the EU Commission president J. M. Barroso, Mr Philippe Legrain, urges that institutional solutions fall short of resolving fundamental issues in the eurozone crisis. Recently we witnessed an ambivalent announcement of a... Continue Reading →
Hardly has there been a recent period without turmoil in Italy's political system, but there is something exceptional in the waiting weeks before the referendum of December 4. With expedient tours, audacious speeches, tactical manoeuvres and political rattling, prime minister Matteo Renzi has been trying to convince Italian men and women to back his constitutional... Continue Reading →
Three years have passed since the death of Hugo Chávez and the Land of Grace, Venezuela, finds itself at a political and social crossroads. In the midst of food shortages, soaring hyperinflation, opposition calls for the removal of president Nicolás Maduro and government bemoaning of a coup against it, the Latin American country of 32 million... Continue Reading →
Fourteen centuries have passed since China officially established trade routes along the legendary Silk Road to central Mediterranean ports. Today, the much more ambitious One Belt, One Road concept comprises expanded naval and land connections, including fast growing port hubs like Piraeus and rail services such as the Zhengzhou-Hamburg link. The first time I wrote... Continue Reading →
Lots of "red flags" have been reported due to the scheduled visit of EU Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker, to the International Economic Forum of Saint Petersburg, Russia (16-18 June). From Reuters to Politico, the EU top official's decision to travel to Russia has been perceived as a deviation from the common stance of EU members towards... Continue Reading →
After several weeks of fighting, the glorious historical city of Palmyra is once again under the control of the Syrian government (27 March 2016), it is counting the wounds caused by ISIS terrorists. From the first days the city was recaptured, archaeologists and experts from the Russian Hermitage museum made their way to Syria in order... Continue Reading →
A sound indication of political convergence -rather than prevalence of a single stakeholder- lies beneath the announced partial withdrawal of Russia’s military forces in Syria. The move came right upon the warning by the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, that there would be no plan B in case the peace talks fail.... Continue Reading →
