Q & A Archive

European leaders are widely expected to maintain Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia at this week’s European Council summit in Brussels, despite disagreement among some member states. With Italy’s newly formed populist government looking at improving ties with Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly preparing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month, the key player holding together an EU-wide consensus on sanctions policy is Germany. In an email interview, Susan Stewart, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, or SWP, in Berlin, discusses the impact of sanctions on German-Russian relations and how they are […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series about press freedom and safety in various countries around the world. Last week, the Pakistani daily Dawn reported that its distributors and vendors were experiencing harassment and intimidation in several cities to prevent them from delivering the paper to subscribers. That followed an incident in April, in which the country’s largest television channel, Geo, was blocked by its cable operators across 80 percent of the country. Many in Pakistan saw the hand of the military behind the incidents. In an email interview, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program […]

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and managing editor, Frederick Deknatel, discuss the outcome and implications of this week’s summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. For the Report, Aleks Eror talks with WPR’s senior editor, Robbie Corey-Boulet, about the British Conservative Party’s efforts over the past 15 years to project a more moderate image, and why they haven’t gained much traction within the party or among voters. If you like what you hear on Trend Lines and what you’ve read on WPR, you can sign up for our free […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series about press freedom and safety in various countries around the world. On May 31, 12 reporters from Slovakia’s public television and radio broadcaster, RTVS, resigned to protest what they called the politicization of news coverage under recently appointed management. The mass resignation followed the March murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, which triggered protests that ultimately brought down the government of then-Prime Minister Robert Fico. In an email interview, Andrej Školkay, director of the School of Communication and Media in Bratislava, discusses the charges of politicization of Slovakia’s public media, […]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a three-country tour of Southeast Asia in the late May and early June to tout his “Act East” policy. In Indonesia, he signed a deal to develop the country’s Sabang port at the mouth of the strategic Malacca Strait, while pledging to boost security and maritime cooperation. And in an address to the Shangri-La Dialogue, a forum on Asian security issues in Singapore, he pledged India’s commitment to free navigation and a rules-based order for maritime security in Asia. In an email interview, Anubhav Gupta, the assistant director of the Asia Society Policy Institute […]

The Slovenia Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Janez Jansa, finished first in Slovenia’s parliamentary elections Sunday, with roughly 25 percent of the vote. Jansa, who was supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, campaigned on an anti-immigration platform centered on opposition to the European Union’s proposed quota system for redistributing asylum-seekers among member states. But neither Jansa nor the several parties that split the centrist vote will find it easy to assemble a majority coalition. In an email interview, Florian Bieber, a professor of Southeast European history and politics at the University of Graz and director of the […]

On May 12, East Timor voted in early parliamentary elections, after last year’s indecisive elections produced a minority government and political paralysis. Following a campaign that was tarnished by some incidents of political violence, the Change for Progress, or AMP, coalition of opposition parties won 34 of 65 seats. A court challenge by the defeated Fretilin party over alleged irregularities was rejected by an appeals court last week, opening the way for the AMP to form a government. In an email interview, Guteriano Neves, a policy analyst based in East Timor’s capital, Dili, discusses the election results, the AMP’s policy […]