Reports of Professor Stefan Hedlund
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Georgia snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
Worrisome trends have emerged during the eight-year rule of the Georgian Dream party. Unless the opposition manages to form a coalition in the upcoming October elections, Georgia faces further democratic backsliding and an increasingly corrupt judiciary system – potentially leading to weaker ties with the European Union and closer relations ...
Romania’s moment to make progress against corruption
For years, corruption has been one of the biggest hurdles holding Romania’s progress back. Recently, however, several developments indicate the country may be headed in the right direction: corrupt leaders have been jailed, a referendum limiting moves to undermine the rule of law passed overwhelmingly, and the new, transitional government ...
Estonia outperforms the EU
Estonia is one of Europe’s star performers in terms of economic growth and development, technological advancement, freedom and education. It faces three big dilemmas: defensive vulnerability, the non-integration of its Russian minority and rising nationalism. Yet the country seems well-placed to meet all three of these challenges.
Opinion: The Danes know that uncontrolled immigration would damage their welfare system
At the peak of the European migrant crisis, Germany and Sweden took what they considered “moral leadership” in welcoming refugees. Wedged in between its two morals-driven neighbors, Denmark made it abundantly clear that refugees were not welcome. The Danish example may serve as a crucial reminder to other European nations ...
Sweden is inching toward political transformation
Sweden may be nearing a political realignment of historic proportions. The mainstay, center-left Social Democrats can no longer deny that public safety problems stemming from mismanaged immigration are real or ignore the alarming erosion in the quality of education, healthcare and social security systems. The future of the party’s alliance ...
A faltering Eastern Partnership
The Eastern Partnership has lacked a strategy since its creation in 2009. Designed to promote European values in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the project has done little to reduce poverty and corruption in participating countries. Furthermore, the latter have often found themselves struggling to balance allegiances to ...
Sweden rebuilds its military force, maybe
Sweden’s defense budget is to grow by about one third in the next three years, as the country reverses its decades-long policies and aims to rebuild its once impressive territorial defense capabilities. The plan hardly surprises in today’s neo-Cold War context, but given the scope and nature of the challenges ...
Focus Germany: The Nord Stream 2 headache
Russian ambitions to bypass Ukraine’s gas infrastructure are obviously rooted in political motives, yet Germany insists on backing the project. By doing so, it could reap the economic benefits of becoming a European hub for Russian gas imports, but serious conflicts over the matter are likely to arise within the ...
