minorities

Lithuania’s Minorities: Rights and Problems

2020-12-30 Policraticus 0

What concerns the citizenship, in 1994 Lithuania contained some 81.3 per cent of the population who spoke Lithuanian as their first language […]

The “Non-Citizens” of the Baltic States: Α European Scandal Nobody Speaks about!

2020-02-24 Policraticus 0

I can imagine what the reaction of the EU institutions would be if a state like Russia or Belarus had an extremely high proportion of persons deprived of citizenship and, consequently, of the full scope of citizens’ rights […]

500 Years of Nakbas

The great nakba, or “catastrophe,”began in 1492, when Christopher Columbus proclaimed the lands of the “Indies” for Spain […]
The Kurds, Terrorism and Kurdistan

There are many the so-called “stateless nations” or better to say “stateless cultures” or “stateless ethnolinguistic groups” in the world […]
Why Putin Discriminates Kosovo Serbs?

On January 19th, 2016 on the bilateral meeting between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the official representatives of the European Jewish Congress […]
Iraq Invasion – Anniversary of the Biggest Terrorist Attack in Modern History

March 20th marked the thirteenth anniversary of an action resulting in the equivalent of a Paris, Brussels, London 7th July 2005, often multiple times daily in Iraq ever since […]
New Strategic Calculus for the Balkans

Newly crowned NATO members Albania and Croatia continue to pose the greatest threat to the Central Balkans […]
Christianity in Europe During WWII

The propaganda by the Christian churches in regard to their role during WWII in Fascist Italy, Yugoslavia, and Nazi Germany has so conditioned their believers […]
Myths and Facts about the 1967 Six-Day War

This article is based on a talk by Richard Becker at a PSL forum in San Francisco on June 3, 2017 […]
How Britain stole $45 trillion from India (And lied about it)

New research by the renowned economist Utsa Patnaik – just published by Columbia University Press – deals a crushing blow to this narrative […]
Bosnia-Herzegovina ISIS in the 1990s

Video documentary movie on the first ISIS in Europe in the Islamic Caliphate of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992-1995 […]
The UN Convention on War Crimes should be Applied to the United States

Through Resolution 2391 (XXIII) dated November 26, 1968, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity […]

The Problem is America: The Malignant Cultural Hegemony

2021-01-10 0

What is wrong with the American people? After several years of horrific policy toward the waking world, democracy’s standard bearers seem to be drowning in a lake of selfishness […]

Stepan Bandera: The Legacy of Self-Loathing Nazi’s in America

2020-12-29 0

Instead, history shows the mass murderer and torturer Bandera’s greatest impact on the world was in North America through the OUN (Bandera’s nationalist army) […]

Montenegro’s Corrupt Party of Socialists is Killing the Country

2020-12-28 0

Djukanovic’s motives are fairly transparent […]

Why Russia Saved the United States

2020-12-26 0

I think it is evident to most by now that the United States is presently undergoing a crisis that could become a full-blown second civil war […]

Caught in a Lie, US & Allies Bomb Syria the Night Before International Inspectors Arrive

2020-12-24 0

The US, Britain, and France trampled international law to launch missiles against Syria, claiming to have “evidence” of the government’s use of chemical weapons. That evidence is based on terrorist lies […]

Why Putin Discriminates Kosovo Serbs?

2021-01-18 0

On January 19th, 2016 on the bilateral meeting between Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the official representatives of the European Jewish Congress […]

A. Merkel’s Responsibility for Kosovo

2021-01-14 0

Dietmar Hartwig, former head of the EU (EEC) Monitoring Mission in Kosovo and Metohija (ECMM) in his 2007 warning letter […]

Kosovo is not Serbia’s Kurdistan, but Balkan’s IS/Daesh

2021-01-10 0

While Prof. Sotirović is right in his assessment that Turkey is hypocritical to say at least, he failed to expose the fundamental differences between Kurdistan and Kosovo […]

De-Recognition of Kosovo: US Tries to Stem the Tide

2021-01-09 0

Ironically, while Morocco is trying to convince nations to de-recognize the Sahrawi Republic, it has withheld recognition of Kosovo because it does not want to give credence to the recognition of breakaway states […]

Why the Albanians Need Tensions in the Province of Kosovo-Metohija Now?

2021-01-08 0

Taking it even further, the Albanians hope that this will kick start the territorial rearrangement of the Balkans that former British diplomat Timothy Less has been lobbying for across the past month […]

Politics is Above Common Sense in Latvia

2021-01-09 0

The more so, Latvia can face the situation when Russia has to defend the so-called compatriots. Thus, the Crimea’s scenario can repeat. Do Latvian authorities want it? […]

The Future of the EU at Stake in Catalonia

2021-01-05 0

After this historic, (relatively) bloody Sunday, more and more Catalans will be asking […]

The Hysterics of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė

2021-01-05 0

The anti-Russia rhetoric of President Grybauskaitė has certainly become increasingly hysterical, in the same laughable fashion as that of “Yats” (also known as Arseniy Yatsenyuk) […]

The Rabidly Hypocritical EU

2021-01-03 0

Do Europeans really want people such as this to be increasing in the EU? […]

Lithuania’s Minorities: Rights and Problems

2020-12-30 0

What concerns the citizenship, in 1994 Lithuania contained some 81.3 per cent of the population who spoke Lithuanian as their first language […]

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The Hidden Story of Crimea’s Economic Success

Recently Crimea celebrated the 2nd anniversary of its reunification with Russia, marked on the day of the referendum that ended the Ukrainian occupation. Much has been written about the political and geopolitical aspects of the reunification as well as the social sentiments of the people, but little has been said about the economy. I want to lift the lid on that because the results of the economic transition are in fact quite impressive, especially considering the arduous hurdles that had to be overcome in the process.The transition from the Ukrainian economy to the Russian one meant a transfer from a ...

Trump is Advised by Liars, Like Bush Was

As will be shown here, the U.S. federal government, under President Donald Trump, is repeating the very same deception of the public, in regard to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, that it had perpetrated back in 2002, against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, under U.S. President George W. Bush. (By contrast, and for secret reasons, the U.S. federal government does everything possible to downplay the barbarisms, such as are occurring in Yemen, that are perpetrated by the fundamentalist Sunni Kings of Saudi Arabia, and Emirs of Qatar, even while exaggerating the barbarisms by the fundamentalist Shiite clerics who control Iran — a key ally ...

Real or Rigged “International Conference on Fascism and Antisemitism” in Vilnius on 9 November?

Yet again, a conference here in the Lithuanian capital dedicated to combating fascism and antisemitism is announced, without there having been a public call for papers, without a single speaker from among those who actually combat fascism and antisemitism in the country, with nobody from the democratically elected Vilnius Jewish community (not even the long-time editor of Jerusalem of Lithuania who has exposed and combated antisemitism for decades). No Holocaust survivors. None of the nationally relevant questions of the day can be found on the conference program. As ever, outstanding academic personalities from abroad are recruited to lend the gravitas and provide serious papers ...

The Origins of Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian Nations

"The main part of the population of Baltic cities up to the 19th century consisted of ethnic Germans, and also Poles and Jews, but not at all Baltic people. In fact, the “old” (pre-revolutionary) Baltic region was completely built by Germans. Baltic cities were German cities – with German architecture, culture, and system of municipal management. ... in the cities of the Baltic region there were almost no Estonians and Latvians." Now, the Baltic states consist of three countries – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, which received sovereignty in the course of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Each of these states position themselves, respectively, ...

Fragility of Belarussian National Identity

Belarus is a land known also as Belorussia (White Russia, Weißrussland) in East Europe which was for centuries occupied by a Polish-Lithuanian common state until it became included in Tsarist Russia in the late 18th century.[1] Belarus is facing many identity problems but the most important is the ethnolinguistic challenge to a separate Belarussian[2] national feature.National identityA common national identity is a focal element for the creation of a national state as without a common identity that is based on a fundamental element of group’s identity a psychological sense of common solidarity cannot be developed. However, such solidarity is a ...

The Russian Minority Question in Estonia

A historical overview and Estonia's minorities Estonia (Eesti, Estland) is a Baltic state that was colonized by the German Teutonic Order of Knights from 1346 being, therefore, dominated politically and economically by a German-speaking landowning aristocracy, which succeeded to maintain its social and economic position even during the Swidish occupation of the territory of present-day Estonia from 1561 to 1721 and for most period of subsequent Russia's administration since 1721 to 1915. From 1855 the ethnic Estonians received the right to possess the land. Migration increased the Estonian population in the cities during the time of the Russian administration. It is ...

Fake Solidarity by NATO

On the 16th anniversary of the country’s accession to NATO, Lithuanian Minister of Defense Raimundas Karoblis came up with a well-known myth: our state is an equal member of the alliance. “We are stronger than ever before and we are grateful to the Allies for their efforts in strengthening the defense capabilities in the region and their willingness to help when it necessary” said Karoblis.If you look at the facts, Lithuania is fighting alone with the epidemic of COVID-19 infection. However, like all other countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.You just need to look at Italy, which does not ...

Provoking the Russian Bear: NATO is “Cannon Fodder” for the American Empire

BALTOPS 16 is a military exercise now taking place between June 3 and June 18 in the Baltic Sea region which is in close proximity to Russia. The U.S. Naval Institute (www.usni.org) released an article titled ‘Analysis: Larger NATO Baltic Sea Exercise Sends Important Message to Russia’ stated what BALTOPS 16 will consist of:Over the next three weeks BALTOPS 16 will draw together some 6,000 personnel, 45 warships, and 60 aircraft from 17 nations, including the United States, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, along with the littoral states of the Baltic States who are NATO members (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, ...

Jonas Noreika: Nazi Collaborator or National Hero? A Test for Lithuania

For the tiny village of Sukioniai in western Lithuania, the exploits of General Storm, a local anti-Communist hero executed by the Soviet secret police in 1947, have long been a source of pride. The village school is named after him, and his struggles against the Soviet Union are also honored with a memorial carved from stone next to the farm where he was born. All along, though, there have been persistent whispers that General Storm, whose real name was Jonas Noreika, also helped the Nazis kill Jews. But these were largely discounted as the work of ill-willed outsiders serving a well-orchestrated ...

US Foreign Policy: Hegemony or Stability, not Both

US foreign policy has for decades been predicated on achieving and maintaining global peace, security and stability. In reality, it has for over a century constituted an overreaching desire to achieve and maintain global hegemony. And where US efforts focus on achieving hegemony, division and destruction follow. From the Middle East to Eastern Europe, and from Southeast Asia to the Korean Peninsula, US intervention politically or militarily all but guarantee escalating tensions, uncertain futures, socioeconomic instability and even armed conflict. The Middle East and North Africa US efforts in the Middle East since the conclusion of the first World War have focused ...

Nuclear Weapons in Lithuania: Defence against Russia or Target for Terrorists?

A complex geopolitical situation in the region forces the Baltic States and their NATO allies to take unprecedented efforts to increase defence capabilities to counter potential aggressors. A new Lithuanian military strategy approved in March describes Russia actions along with terrorism as the main threats for the security of Lithuania, as reported by Delfi.Unfortunately for pacifists, the Alliance and Russia today are arming and demonstrating their military power. They constantly compare their armed forces’ strength and capabilities, conduct large-scale military exercises, respond to each other by deploying new contingents and military equipment closer and closer to the NATO-Russian border.The Baltic ...

The Idea of a Greater Croatia by Pavao Ritter Vitezović (II)

Part I The political purpose of Vitezović’s writings The ultimate political purpose of P. R. Vitezović’s works, based on his ideological construction, was of a triple nature. First of all, he tried to refute the Venetian claims on the territory of Dalmatia, the Istrian Peninsula, the Dalmatian Islands and Boka Kotorska (Cattaro Gulf in present-day Montenegro) that rose during the Great Vienna War 1683–1699 in which the Republic of St. Marco successfully fought the Ottoman Sultanate in a coalition with the Habsburg Empire [Banac 1984, 73]. The war clearly marked the beginning of the irreversible decline of the Ottoman power which consequently opened ...

Russophobia Vulgaris: A la Lietuva

The historical Western policy of „Russophobia Vulgaris“, which is currently promulgated by the British Cabinet of Theresa May, is nothing new. It was originally started by the British Empire in the XIX century, followed up by the US after the WWII and now, as Russia it getting notably reinforced, is escalated in the form of the “New Cold War”. The Russian exodus from the West (diplomatic only yet), presented as a punishment for Russia’s alleged nerve gas poisoning of a former Russian/MI6 double-agent reminds us of the baiting of Jews in the Middle Age for alleged ‘poisoning of wells‘.We have ...

In Lithuania, some Nazi Killers are also Heroes

It’s not a common occurrence to be able to have a court establish the guilt of a criminal 72 years after his death, but such an opportunity has emerged in Lithuania and will be taking place in a courtroom in Vilnius next week, more precisely on Wednesday, January 16 [2019, editor].Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite: Shouting on Russia but keeping silence about Jonas NoreikaThe circumstances of the case are quite unusual. The charges against the alleged criminal were not brought forward by the government or its prosecutors, but rather by a private individual, who does not represent any political entity, but ...

Emergence of “Right Sector” in Lithuania?

One of the consequences of the geopolitical changes that has come to characterize modern civil society has been the surge in popularity of paramilitary units across Europe. This phenomenon is particularly observable in the Baltic States. The Lithuanian Riflemen’ Union is a telling example. Established in 1919, the Union has become very popular in the past few years; its number has grown significantly. Now it has around 8,000 members up from 6,000 two years ago.Trained by military personnel and falling under the responsibility of the defence ministry, the Union serves the clear purpose of supporting the regular army’s capabilities and ...

The Hysterics of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė

The outbursts of anti-Russian rhetoric of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė is certainly very bizarre in view of her curriculum vitae. Dalia Grybauskaitė is a very educated woman. Because of the free education system of the former USSR, she was able to complete her university education at the elite Saint Petersburg State University. She became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1983, some five years before she earned a doctoral degree at the prestigious Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow. It is generally known that not every applicant is routinely accepted to become a Party member.This ...

Lithuania’s Museum of Holocaust Denial

Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day: A state-sponsored institution in Vilnius rewrites history to the delight of Europe’s new ultranationalistsThis past winter here in Vilnius, the charming capital of Lithuania, was much like any other. During long solid weeks of subzero temperatures, as the flow of tourists and roots-seekers slowed to a trickle, I adjusted the route of my daily walk to pass by up to a dozen top tourist sights. Day after day, there was one constant: The most popular, winter-defying “must-visit” for foreigners is “The Museum of Genocide Victims.” Perhaps there is something grotesquely sexy about “genocide.” Maybe the promise ...

Baltic States Sacrifice Economy on Altar of Politics

Making negative statements concerning Russia, the Baltic States set Moscow against themselves and force it to respond. Especially they irritate it making unproven warlike statements for the sake of “common line” of the EU or NATO on the issue. But as John Steinbeck said “all war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”After major information campaign in the Baltic States aimed to discredit Zapad 2017 military exercise, Russia tries to find the most vulnerable places to hurt the Baltic States. It is absolutely evident, that such sphere is economy. For a long time Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia ...

Lithuania Violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

DELFI, which is the major Internet portal in the Baltic States providing daily news, stated on September, 10 that the number of emigrants from Lithuania exceeds that of immigrants by 1,000 in August. Shocking statistics shows that the country has registered a negative migration balance. Some 4,382 people left Lithuania in August. Thus, Lithuanians are leaving the country despite authorities’ claims on economic growth, stability and favorable perspectives. On the one hand, according to “Lithuanian economy review – 2017”, the GDP growth in Lithuania accelerated. In 2017, as compared to the previous year, Lithuania`s GDP increased by 3.8%. (http://ukmin.lrv.lt/en/economy-review/lithuanian-economy-review-2017) On the ...

The History of the CIA

When I began reading the work of Douglas Valentine about six years ago, I had not read his books, only the articles that the US online journal Counterpunch had published. In fact I only began reading Counterpunch because of the accident of having been introduced to the two original editors of what was then only a printed newsletter. Later I was even able to publish a few pieces in that journal before its more famous founding editor’s demise. Why do I preface a book review with such personal observations? To that question I will return later. After reading numerous articles I ...

The Hidden Story of Crimea’s Economic Success

Trump is Advised by Liars, Like Bush Was

Real or Rigged “International Conference on Fascism and Antisemitism” in Vilnius on 9 November?

The Origins of Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian Nations

Fragility of Belarussian National Identity

The Russian Minority Question in Estonia

Fake Solidarity by NATO

Provoking the Russian Bear: NATO is “Cannon Fodder” for the American Empire

Jonas Noreika: Nazi Collaborator or National Hero? A Test for Lithuania

US Foreign Policy: Hegemony or Stability, not Both

Nuclear Weapons in Lithuania: Defence against Russia or Target for Terrorists?

The Idea of a Greater Croatia by Pavao Ritter Vitezović (II)

Russophobia Vulgaris: A la Lietuva

In Lithuania, some Nazi Killers are also Heroes

Emergence of “Right Sector” in Lithuania?

The Hysterics of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė

Lithuania’s Museum of Holocaust Denial

Baltic States Sacrifice Economy on Altar of Politics

Lithuania Violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The History of the CIA

Online Privacy for Journalists

2021-01-06 0

A Must-Have Guide for Journalism in 2017 […]

Donald the Animal Stays in Syria

2020-12-19 0

Another chemical weapons at the hands (supposedly) of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad […]

America’s Myth of a Peaceful Nation

2020-09-07 0

We are a peaceful nation, claimed Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson in an interview with Katie Couric late last year […]

The Demonization of Islam

2020-09-03 0

The demonization of Islam cannot be accomplished no matter what as it is a religious ideology just as much as are the Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Judaic ideologies but it is Muslims being demonized through terror tactics […]

Blaming Russia for Skripal Attack is Similar to ‘Jews Poisoning our Wells’ in Middle Ages

2020-08-26 0

The whole thing, to put it bluntly, was a load of rubbish. There are no known cases of fatal poisoning by dioxin in the history of medicine, and the Dutch toxicologist who claimed to have found dioxin in Yushchenko’s blood – as I also found out when I rang him too – was in reality a food scientist who admitted to me that he had no way of knowing how it had got there […]

POLICRATICUS

Electronic Magazine On Global Politics, International Relations, History and World Security Since April 2014

minorities

Lithuania’s Minorities: Rights and Problems

The “Non-Citizens” of the Baltic States: Α European Scandal Nobody Speaks about!

500 Years of Nakbas

The Kurds, Terrorism and Kurdistan

Why Putin Discriminates Kosovo Serbs?

Iraq Invasion – Anniversary of the Biggest Terrorist Attack in Modern History

New Strategic Calculus for the Balkans

Christianity in Europe During WWII

Myths and Facts about the 1967 Six-Day War

How Britain stole $45 trillion from India (And lied about it)

Bosnia-Herzegovina ISIS in the 1990s

The UN Convention on War Crimes should be Applied to the United States