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Vareikis, Egidijus
5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
State of emergency declared in Armenia
Since the presidential election on February 19 there have been demonstrations and riots on a daily basis in Armenia. The outgoing Armenian president, Robert Kotcharian, has now declared a state of emergency. The opposition claims the election won by Prime minister Serge Sarkissian was rigged. Egidijus Vareikis is also sceptical about the results: "There can be no doubt that there's something wrong with democracy in Armenia. Why is a people with such a rich culture and past living in such poverty and surrounded by so much corruption? The years of independence have been marked by wars, economic blockades and a division of society. Today, most Armenians live outside the country, and almost all the country's neighbours are on more or less bad terms with it. It's at war with Azerbaijan, there has been no reconciliation with Turkey because of the genocide, Georgia is more focused on the West and although the Iranians aren't enemies, as Muslims they belong to a different faith."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Europe, » Eastern Europe, » Middle East
Egidijus Vareikis on the Eastern European revolutions
After the close election victories of Mikhail Saakashvili in Georgia and Julia Timoshenko in Ukraine, Egidijus Vareikis looks at the success of the "revolutions" in post-Soviet areas. "Optimists point out that through the revolutions, despite obstacles, a transition was made to democracy. Ukraine withstood pressure and manipulation from Russia, and plotted a pro-western course. That is very important, because that changed the geo-political map of Eastern Europe. The Black Sea could one day become a European inland sea, and Russia could be pushed back further from the coast. … Those many-coloured revolutions also have negative sides. But in Ukraine and Georgia, they've managed to find charismatic personalities who transmit – and carry out – new ideas."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe, » Georgian Republic
New escalation in the cartoon row
Egidijus Vareikis sees the death threats against Swedish artist Lars Vilks and his newspaper editor Ulf Johansson as an escalation in the recent cartoon dispute, but warns against collective condemnation of Islam: "Islam is not a strong religion from a political point of view. The Muslim community is not that strongly consolidated and is under continuous pressure through censorship and self-censorship. We should not make the same mistake the West made regarding the Soviet Union when it assumed that all citizens of the Eastern Bloc were loyal communists just because the Communist Party bullied society with its censorship."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Fine Arts, » Print media, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Sweden
Kiev pauses for breath
Once again, Ukraine's future will be decided on the streets, writes Egidijus Vareikis. He adds that once again the issue at stake is whether the country belongs to the West or the East. "Independent Ukraine is torn between the remnants of the former Russian empire and the prospect of European integration. At the same time it is fighting to develop its own identity. It's not surprising that we are keeping a close watch on events in Ukraine, because the country is a geopolitical factor that could decide the fate of European integration."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Ukraine
Europe's integration is a model for others
"Every time the EU takes on a new member the debate about where Europe's borders actually lie is rekindled," says Egidijus Vareikis about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. "There is one major factor that has received little attention so far: European integration is regarded with envy by other continents, because an experiment of this kind has never yet been successful although there have been several attempts. … Europe is a unique economic and political entity based on universal values rather than geography. This is why countries like Ukraine, Turkey or others could one day become members of the EU."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Europe, » Romania, » Bulgaria
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