Azerbaijan Goes Green
Drawing the authoritarian Central Asian states westward is not easy, but engagement is a better tactic than isolation. Especially when the nations indicate that they want to be part of the West.
Eastern Europe: Investment Opportunities Survive Bad Economy
With Europe in recession, the East will face continued tough times. However, even today some countries and some companies are doing well. With the right policies, the region can prosper in spite of the West’s difficulties.
Eastern Opportunities in Datacenter Development
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe are well-positioned to benefit from a new wave of outsourcing and datacenter development. Over time the former Soviet states could create their own mini-Silicon Valleys.
Azerbaijan Getting Second Looks by Investors
The Financial Times reports that a few funds are balancing remaining corruption issues with Baku’s reform programs and the enormous financial liftoff the country has experienced for the last decade and more.
Ukraine Takes Another Step Out from Under Gazprom
Anything that breaks Gazprom’s stranglehold over Europe’s natural gas supply — and alleviates Ukrainian suffering — is a positive thing for European energy security, and security in general.
The Case for Economic Reform in Kazakhstan
All of these nations would benefit from a substantial dose of freedom. The peoples of Central Asia will flourish once they are able to take charge of their respective economic and political destinies.
The Baltic States Prosper Amidst the Euro’s Ruin
The Eurozone continues to go from bad to worse. Greece may be on its way out. Spain wants a bank bail-out. Buried amongst this depressing cascade of impending catastrophe is some good news. The Baltic States have demonstrated the art of economic reform.
Expanding Cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe
Despite perceived “exhaustion” among some member states, expansion should proceed Eastward, most obviously to Georgia and Ukraine.
Do Turkmenistan’s Energy Reserves Offer an Opening to Reform?
Turkmenistan is, by any measure, one of the worst dictatorships on Earth. Now is not the time to use enriching its political class as a tool to bring Turkmenistan kicking and screaming into the nineteenth century.
Estonia Asks Why It Must Help a Basketcase That Isn’t Part of the Former Soviet Union
Estonia, like the rest of the Baltics, suffered terribly after the Soviet invasion. Like its Baltic neighbors, it took the chance at independence after Moscow loosened its grip and has made a hard charge West, never looking back.