By Olga R. Gulina
CEO and founder of the RUSMPI Institute on Migration Policy; Alumna of Moscow School of Political Studies
6 August 2021
The collapse of the USSR was sudden although not as swift as many imagine...
By Olga R. Gulina
CEO and founder of the RUSMPI Institute on Migration Policy; Alumna of Moscow School of Political Studies
16 January 2019
Being a stranger, an Other an outlander, Non-native, being a humanitarian migrant is not the easiest burden. Not so long ago many Europeans themselves were “destined” to live like modern Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and Africans.
By Tsovinar Hambardzumyan
Director of the External Relations Department, Office of the President of Armenia and alumna of the Yerevan School of Political Studies (2006)
28 February 2018
The issue of gender equality has always been in the focus of attention of the international community during the recent times of the human history. And it is quite natural that at the present time, at a new level of the development of civilization it has become even more acute. Under the present day circumstances this issue has become of vital significance for all the nations. Today the willingness of different nations to live in line with the guiding principles of international civilization acquires special importance.
In this context, it is very interesting to observe the national-historical root-causes of the given problem. One of the main characteristic features of the Armenian people is its receptiveness to the best achievements of world civilization, inclination to all-human values, including gender equality.
By Tomáš Jungwirth
Policy Officer at the Prague-based Consortium of Migrants Assisting NGOs; Alumnus of Visegrad School of Political Studies (2016)
25 October 2017
Civil society must keep the dialogue over migration open, to retain relevance and to survive.
The so-called European migration crisis and the populist political backlash that ensued – even if undoubtedly driven also by a number of other factors – have created all sorts of challenges for civil society actors. How to respond effectively to the increasingly hostile societal environment?
By Olga R. Gulina
CEO and founder of the RUSMPI Institute on Migration Policy; Alumna of Moscow School of Political Studies
23 August 2017
Nowadays some people talk about migration with fervor and compassion, others – with cold calculation and fear. Like any social phenomenon, migration is a subject that can and must cause different people to hold different views. How do you look at the new migration challenge – globally or locally? As a citizen of the world or a particular country?
By Catherine Lalumière
President of the Association of the Schools of Political Studies
20 June 2014, Speech given at the First International Alumni Seminar of the Schools of Political Studies, Strasbourg
Translated from the French by Alexandra Jaraba
I) Where do democracy and human rights stand in today's Europe?
This question is worth asking in these terms because today, Europe, Greater Europe is going through a period of doubt and questioning, and Europeans, from both West and East are clearly troubled.
By Jack Hanning
Secretary General of the Association of Schools of Political Studies
November 2014
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” (1)
When the Berlin Wall came down, 25 years ago, the fall of communism and the toppling of dictatorships sparked continent-wide euphoria. Peace, stability and democracy became by-words for a prosperous and bright European future. But the dream of a continent-wide democratic “wonderland” was short-lived as economic hardship, coupled with political uncertainties and military conflicts gradually engendered a sense of drift and gloom.
By Ilgar Mammadov
Director of the Baku School of Politics
29 January 2014
I must respond to the remarks made twice in the past seven months in Brussels by Azerbaijan’s absolutist ruler Ilham Aliyev about my situation as a prisoner.
Mr Aliyev was right in justifying his repressive acts by what he called a “fiasco” of his opponents at the 23 January PACE voting. I shall add: a well-predicted fiasco.
Many years ago Baku skillfully transformed the debate about political prisoners into a bureaucratic, that is non-political, discussion about technical criteria for the definition/ Moreover, the discussion it self went in the wrong direction of assessing a prisoner’s situation vis-à-vis law and other individuals, instead of focusing on the big political picture of justice.
By Mikhail Minakov
President of the Foundation for Good Politics, Kyiv; Alumnus of the Ukrainian (2006) and Moscow (2010) Schools of Politics
January 2014
The idea of One Europe is under threat once again. Today, the risk comes from consolidating post-Soviet authoritarianisms and their emerging friendship with ultra-conservative parties in EU member states.
Post-Soviet fragmented societies and self-defeating oligarchies have provided an accommodating environment for the development of corporate states with authoritarian rulers. Resources of the East are uniting to create an ultraconservative alternative to the modern and rights based Europe. This trend is a menace to the entire European space: both to the new nations of Eastern Europe as well as to the values of the longer established democracies.
By Lena Nemirovskaya
Director of School of Civic Education
25 April 2013
Translated from the Russian by Judy Coffin
Life often turns out unexpectedly: our dreams are left unfulfilled, our ideals unrealised. But in our seemingly hopeless striving to influence reality, somehow we uncover a more humane self, and the question “what can be done or not done?” is no longer relevant.
