Children look out from a bus before leaving for a train station at a refugee camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry about 10km from the Russia-Ukrainian border. (Photo Credit: Euro News) Written by Ash Breedlove Since the war began in February last year, thousands of Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russian forces. This is... Continue Reading →
Another Pro-Ukraine Election Win in Estonia
Written by Ash Breedlove March 12, 2023 Digital voting has dominated Estonia’s most recent general election. The Baltic nation has used “i-voting” in order to increase the use of digital infrastructure. I-voting is made secure by an electronic identity system provided by e-Estonia. The security system involves user ID, a card reader, and PIN codes.... Continue Reading →
Moldova’s Instability Amid the War in Ukraine
Written by Ash Breedlove February 11, 2023 Moldova’s prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, unexpectedly resigned on February 10th. During her 18-month period as prime minister, Gavrilita contended with Moldova’s energy crisis and a struggling economy with rising rates of inflation. She often voiced her pro-Western views and support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The day before... Continue Reading →
Pro-Western Candidate Defeats Oligarch in Czech Republic Presidential Election
Written by Ash Breedlove February 5, 2023 On January 28th, General Petr Pavel was elected president in the Czech Republic. Pavel is a former army chief and NATO official who has been vocal about his pro-Western views. Pavel’s opponent, billionaire Andrej Babis, spouted populist rhetoric in his campaign and portrayed Pavel as a warmonger for... Continue Reading →
Ukraine Secures Modernized Tanks
by Ash Breedlove German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Source: BBC On January 25th, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would send fourteen Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, allowing other nations with these German-made vehicles to send them as well. Poland has been lobbying Berlin for permission to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine for months. Along... Continue Reading →
UN Human Rights Council Issues Early Report on War Crimes in Ukraine
Written by Tyler Kibbey September 26, 2022 On Friday, September 23rd, the Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Erik Møse, issued an initial report following the exhumation of a mass burial site documented in the city of Izium, Ukraine. The update presented by the Commission reports on their investigation into alleged... Continue Reading →
The Russia-Ukraine War: How Russia Violated the United Nations Charter
When representatives from the United Nations signed the UN Charter on June 26, 1945, those representatives bound their governments to the entirety of the Charter, including provisions regarding sovereignty. Article 2 is organized with the understanding that nations would respect the sovereignty of other nations. Specifically, Article 2 states, "The Organization is based on the... Continue Reading →
The Poland-Belarus Border Crisis: Asylum Rights Altered as Troops Guard Border
As the migrants trapped in "no man's land" begin to face the winter months, the European Union ("EU") recently proposed emergency measures to allow Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania to derogate from EU asylum rules. According to Human Rights Watch, while the measures would still need to be approved by the European Council, they would "systemize... Continue Reading →
The Poland-Belarus Border Conflict
As instability rises in the Middle East, migrants are looking for different avenues to safety, and one of these avenues is seeking passage through Eastern Europe. On September 2, 2021, The Economist reported a large influx of migrants were crossing into Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia at the direction of the Belarusian government (https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/09/02/europes-latest-migrant-crisis-leaves-refugees-stuck-between-two-borders). Belarus' dictator,... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 