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Bickerich, Sebastian
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Democracy only divides
President Dmitry Medvedev may have diagnosed Russia's "chronic backwardness" but he still considers the comprehensive democratisation of the country unnecessary, the Tagesspiegel concludes: "'All attempts to stir up the situation in the country with democratic solutions, to destabilise the state and to divide the society will be thwarted' - someone who talks like this is following the centuries-old tradition of Russian rulers who have no trust in their own people's power and ability to develop. Instead the state is to do this for them and the country to be modernised from the top down. This strategy may not have worked for the Tsars, Stalin or Gorbachev, but it does have a decisive advantage: there's always someone else to blame for the failures, be it the opposition, a country like Georgia or the West, towards which Medvedev's attitude was noticeably cool."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Russia
Eastern European countries make move for more energy independence
Sebastian Bickerich reports that Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine want the crude oil pipeline running between Odessa and Brody to be extended to Gdansk. "If these plans go ahead, the countries of Eastern Europe would be sending a double message. Firstly they would make themselves less dependent energy-wise on the current semi-monopolist Russia. Secondly they will be putting the European Union to shame. The latter has still not managed to pave the way for an independent energy policy; instead, several EU commissioners have become embroiled in a quarrel over competencies. The countries of Eastern Europe are making it clear that if Europe is unable to create an infrastructure project for the future, the individual states will take matters into their own hands."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Energy, » Ukraine, » Europe
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