Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The crisis in Crimea is the most dangerous moment since the end of the Cold War, with the risk of not only an escalation of tension between Ukraine and Russia, but also between Russia and NATO.
Russia and the EU are trying to pull Ukraine into their orbit rather than cooperating on what would be best for the country.
The situation in Ukraine remains fluid and it is not clear whether the agreement between Yanukovych and the opposition leaders will hold.
2014 will be a decisive year for Europe’s future. What the EU needs is a revolutionary political reform that can bring European citizens back on board.
At December’s European Council summit, European defense topped the agenda for EU leaders. One key issue under discussion was pooling and sharing of military capabilities.
Neither the opposition leaders nor President Yanukovych know how how hard they can push back as they struggle to find a solution to rising tensions in Ukraine.
Putin’s Eurasian Union would be a set of political and economic structures, similar to the EU, that Russia would dominate. But this vision comes with a price; Ukraine’s economy is in trouble, just as Russia is suffering from low economic growth.
Since the Berlin Wall fell, Europe has been battling to keep the twentieth-century continent alive in the twenty-first. In years to come, the EU will have to make some big decisions.
The European Union is still in crisis and it is going through numerous challenges. Political leadership could represent the solution.
Europe stands between extended integration and enforced disintegration. After the German elections, the question is what to expect for Europe's future.