Hollande’s state visit to the United States, only the fourth state visit from any foreign leader since Obama took office, holds much in the way of symbolism.
The recent bombings in Volgograd, Dagestan, and Pyatigorsk - the last less than 350 miles east of Sochi - have come as a shock, but not as a surprise, to the Russian public.
There was a time, not that long ago, when the question of whether “Asian values” — whatever they meant — were compatible with democracy was being hotly debated.
Since U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden made his revelations about the NSA’s surveillance activities, there has been a growing chorus demanding that European states support their digital companies to become more competitive.
There is a fin de regime aura in Delhi, like the fog that swathes the capital on winter mornings. The Indian National Congress-led governing coalition faces elections in the spring.
The principles of Olympism as captured in the current Olympic Charter clearly denote the primacy of human dignity, non-discrimination, and other basic human rights.
The logic of leadership diversity is that diverse and representative voices need to be at the decision-making table for the best political outcomes to be reached, at all levels of government.
Germany’s Russia policy remains above all guided by economics and energy, and the substantial Russia lobby in the German business community is unlikely to be moved by events in Ukraine.
