Dimitrios' World

In a recent analysis of Barrack Obama’s foreign policy much was made of the fact that in contrast to his predecessor’s value-laden approach, Obama seems to favour Realpolitik. In another recent article it is suggested that the “democracy narrative” was losing ground as all “colour” or “velvet” revolutions of recent years – the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003, its Orange counterpart in Ukraine in 2004, the Tulip or Pink Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005 and even the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon in 2005 – have failed to produce much especially in terms of the long-term democratisation and liberalisation of the countries at hand. In fact, it may well be that the ideological underpinnings of the aforementioned revolutions pitting the so-called “good guys” versus the “bad guys” have found themselves lacking sponsors today given the current withdrawal of the neocons from the limelight. The return to realpolitik is also symbolised, inter alia, by the “reset button” paradigm between the U...

Crises by definition portend systemic adjustments and instabilities. At the same time, however, they –by and large– provide opportunities, be it structural economic and political changes, domestic reforms and cooperation with other states and non-state actors at the regional and international level. The global economic crisis exemplifies this duality. Also, the crisis is at the same time economic and geopolitical in scope. The current crisis also introduces a time element as its likely duration and span are uncertain. The economic effects lie beyond this commentary albeit it is safe to say that the relevant economic and social models of choice applied by governments to cope with it impact upon their political instruments and policy choices. This is particularly the case given the pressure and demand for the state authorities to assume a more intervening role in the functioning of the market The crisis finds the international order in flux having entered into a new era charac...