Issue 84 - 2012 spotlight image

Issue 84 - 2012

A Greek exit will not be cathartic

A Greek exit will not be cathartic

Simon Tilford
25 May 2012
How the eurozone handles Greece will determine whether or not the single currency survives – and hence the future of the EU as a whole.
If a Greek exit from the eurozone is mishandled, contagion to the other struggling member-states could be uncontrollable, leading inexorably to the collapse of the euro....
Time for France to take the lead on Syria

Time for France to take the lead on Syria

Edward Burke
25 May 2012
Western policy towards Syria is a mess and needs to be rethought before it is too late. Lebanon is sliding into conflict and jihadist and other extremist groups have increased their presence in both countries.
The Gulf states, with tacit US support, have started arming Islamist militant groups of which they...
What Putin's return means for the former Soviet republics

What Putin's return means for the former Soviet republics

Jana Kobzova, Tomas Valasek
25 May 2012
Vladimir Putin's re-election as Russia's president, and his absence from recent summits of the G8 and NATO, indicate a hardening of Russian attitudes towards the West.
What does this imply for Russia's relations with the former Soviet republics in Europe and Central Asia? The EU and NATO have little interest in...
Bulletin
25 May 2012
Issue number 
84
Simon Tilford, Tomas Valasek, Edward Burke