November 1, 2025
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the ECJ finally rejected Hungary’s and Poland’s legal challenge, thereby paving the way for the European Commission to withhold EU funds on the grounds of erosion of the rule of law in member states. The Court’s decision allows the EU to take action against member states violating the rule of law, one of the bloc’s core principles.
Covert Action (CA) has been a point of contention within political and foreign policy discourse, with constant discussions about the legalities of targeted killings and enhanced interrogation techniques. There are vast historical examples of U.S. intervention abroad which complicated matters in their respective regions, in some cases having an opposite effect than what was intended, in other cases resulting in scandals that eroded the public’s faith in governmental institutions, and in other cases simply resulting in a less stable country or government. In spite of all the discussion about covert action, it is undeniable that it can be extremely beneficial when dealing with foreign powers and with new issues like non-state actors and international terrorism.
During the last weeks, the world has been closely watching what is happening at the Ukrainian-Russian border. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian border has been the focus of attention for some years, the current crisis is taking another level. This is due to the deployment of a great number of Russian troops to the border, raising concerns about the region’s future and making experts speculate about a Russian invasion. However, even though specialists and pundits are warning decision-makers of the risk of a major war involving great powers, there are some reasons to doubt that there will be a Russian invasion or a deployment of NATO’s forces in Ukrainian territory, let alone a major conflict.
Investments in research and development are key factors for the competitiveness of one’s economy, and according to research, the correlation between a country’s technological innovation and its economic power is indeed positive. As Xi Jinping has done everything in his power to utilise Chinese technological supremacy in international politics, it is vital to examine the relationship between technological development and political power to explain how it has come to the point of China soon overtaking the US as the most powerful country in the world.
The U.S. Navy SEALs have long been regarded as one of the most preeminent and effective special operations forces in the United States. However, in recent years, SEALs have displayed a serious problem in maintaining their level of professionalism. Various SEAL teams have been investigated for alcohol abuse, sexual assaults, and heavy narcotics usage, posing such a serious risk to national security that the units had to be called home or certain soldiers had to be placed on leave. These are serious problems within the SEAL community and pose a significant national security/defense risk.
The power of Putin’s regime lies in one person. Redistribution of power in Russia has disappeared since 1993 when Yeltsin destroyed the Russian Parliament. Putin has completed this process: he has eliminated all independent centres of power. He managed to take power into his own hands. From today’s point of view, Putin’s regime is very interesting. Putin’s rule shares no similarities with other authoritarian regimes, it has its own tactics.
Amidst the current pressing crises occupying the EU, another potentially pivotal moment may encounter the block this year. In April 2022, the EU’s problem child, Hungary, will hold parliamentary elections, deciding on their next government and prime minister. Several questions remain: Can the united opposition finally defeat Orbán and his Fidesz party, despite evidence for irregularities in previous elections? And if so, could that actually lead to meaningful reforms?
Talking about the ethics of war over Ukraine seems abstract and naïve in light of Donbas and its abandoned villages. It seems pointless to think about just war in a world of suffering where war is just war. Yet, it is because the suffering of war is real that we should think and talk about the ethics of war. Only when we talk can we take a stance, constrain violence, and hold military leaders accountable.
This analysis studies the transformations in Russian civil society from the eighteenth through the twenty-first century. It argues that powerful political structures, formed during the Imperial, Soviet and post-Soviet periods, have influenced civil society arrangements in the modern-day Russian Federation. Similar to Russian forms of democracy and the market economy, which diverge substantially from Western European models, civil society as it exists in the RussianFederation has not followed the West’s trajectory of development. This Russian iteration of civil society, which emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is the result of successive transformations across social sectors over several centuries and is justified through various factors unique to the Russian socio-political context.
Polygraphs are an incredibly popular tool. They are used in criminal and civil cases, by the prosecution and defense alike, to determine the credibility of sources, defendants, and suspects. However, polygraphs are incredibly problematic. As has been shown by various scientific reports and assessments, they have zero scientific basis, are far too open to individual bias and partial interpretation, and incredibly unreliable. Yet they are in use by nearly every federal law enforcement agency for employment and investigative purposes and are utilized by the courts in certain circumstances. My own view on polygraphs is rather negative, having personally researched the issue and been the subject of such an exam for employment purposes.
