THE SHOW’S NOT OVER UNTIL THE GOP LADY SINGS!

“Pre-election America-2012” cycle

The U.S. presidential election campaign is under way. There’s much less intrigue in it than during the last one in 2008. And it’s not even because the Russian campaign also started. It’s all about the fact that one bidder for the Presidential post is already known — it is the incumbent President Barack Obama. So the most part of action is on at the side his rivals — the Republican Party also known as the Great Old Party (GOP).

ERDOĞAN’S NEW DEAL. Part I

Analysts assume that Erdoğan is willing to change the very state system of Turkey, although their imagination can’t stretch further than that statement. In fact Erdoğan’s space for maneuver is not that vast. He won’t be able to make the country turn for an Iranian-like theocratic state. Therefore, we’re rather talking about some skin-deep changes, the main purpose of which is erasing the period of boundless military rule from the memory of Turks. After all, the effective Basic Law of Turkey was written exactly by the military.

PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS IN TURKEY: STRIVING TO VICTORY THROUGH THE ISTANBUL CANAL

Quite notable recent foreign-policy activity of Turkey (especially in the Middle East) has certain domestic reasons. Voters should behold the ruling party, restoring former greatness of Turkey and making it an heir of the Ottoman Empire.

«Elections» in Belarus. Drama replaces farce

Turns out you only used those eyes.  Simply to sell me all those lies

In October this year Polish and German Foreign Affairs Ministers Radosław Sikorski and Guido Westerwelle visited Minsk. They’ve tried to persuade Lukashenko to hold fair elections, having offered him €3 billion instead. The last European dictator has slyly used the visit of two EU ministers in order to demonstrate the voters that he’d be able to make a deal with the West. Simultaneously with that he “stung” Russia, so that Kremlin wouldn’t think that he’s way too interested in the solid relationship with the Eastern Brother. Things that happened on the 19^th of December seemingly crushed illusions of everyone who attempted to make a deal with Batka[1] — it turned out that not everything in Byelorussia can be bought even for €3 billion. 

Kaczyński' casus

Is Kaczyński able to get back to power? Part II

“Crusade” of devoted PiS adherents against the Presidential palace not just disunited Poles — it actually torn the Polish society into two unequal parts. “Kaczyński’s special forces” (the much-talked-about mohair berets) having started with demands to immortalize late Lech Kaczyński’s memory — reminded Civic Platform all the offences, mostly connected to the kościół[1] role in Poland. Rightist liberal CP, which deals that issue with great delicacy, did its best to avoid any abrupt moves. Bills regarding state support of artificial fertilization, elimination of kościół pension fund, review of Commission on kościół property results are lying in the Seim for years. For now deputies don’t even examine them, although CP has the coalition majority in the parliament. To a considerable degree Donald Tusk turned out to be a hostage of the situation created by the insane Kaczyński’s actions.

Continuation

Part I

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Sic fatur Palikot

Having obtained seemingly absolute fullness of power, Civic Platform, however, is showing unprecedented cautiousness — being taught by the bitter PiS example from the period when President and Prime Minister had the same last name. Under the confident leadership of Donald Tusk, CP for the first time in contemporary Polish political history applied political technologies, much more characteristic of the former USSR republics. Impressed by the sudden SLD success, Tusk decided to create CP subsidiary party — the one capable of pulling certain part of anti-clerical SLD electorate off for itself. For that sake, Janusz Palikot — one of the most scandalous CP Seim deputies — was used.

Kaczyński' casus

Is Kaczyński able to get back to power? Part I

We tend to think that troubles unite us, while the troubles that touched entire nations, reconcile people as well. Russian history has numerous examples of that, too. Poles have proved once again: how great are the differences between us. National tragedy that befell our Western neighbors has estranged rather than united the Polish society.

Death of President Lech Kaczyński — along with other outstanding representatives of the Polish elite — in the plane crush near Smolensk has shocked not only Poland itself. Despite the chilly intergovernmental relations, Polish tragedy caused a wave of sincere empathy not only among the common Russians but among the top authorities as well. Embrace of Vladimir Putin and Donald Tusk in Smolensk — so unexpected in its sincerity — have melted the ice in the Polish hearts and met a deep emotional response among Polish people.

Rather paradoxical from the standpoint of formal logic and quite symbolical from the emotional one, Russo-Polish reconciliation seemed to be inevitable and filled both leaders and citizens of our countries with optimism. Even the Polish pre-election presidential campaign went in an utmost correct way. Brother of late President, Jarosław Kaczyński, who had the claims for the top state post in the country, behaved himself in an irreproachable manner — despite all the expectations — and never mentioned the subject of Lech Kaczyński death during the election rhetoric (which extremely surprised every last analyst).