Showing 1 - 10 of 100
Greek perception of 'firm deal' seems to be a bit hazy
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 10/07/2015
» It's easy to lose count of "final" deadlines that have been missed in the past five months of negotiations between Greece and its creditors. The latest is Sunday, when, according to European Council President Donald Tusk, Greece will face "really and truly the final wake-up call". It's possible the Greeks don't believe it is quite that final.
Backlash against new urban tourists
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 17/08/2015
» Cities like Barcelona, Berlin, Lisbon and Hong Kong, which only became major tourist destinations in the last couple of decades, are starting to look for ways to keep visitors out. This isn't about xenophobia: it's a protest against the changing nature of tourism.
Saudis are winning oil war, but paying heavy price
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 15/09/2015
» If you believe all the recent stories about how Saudi Arabia is losing the price war it started against US tight oil producers last year, the new Oil Market Report from the International Energy Agency offers a reality check. The Saudis are winning, though they're paying a heavy price for it.
MH17 probe shows no side blameless
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 15/10/2015
» The Dutch report on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was not supposed to apportion blame. Yet the report released on Tuesday by the Dutch Safety Board clearly shows that no side is innocent in eastern Ukraine's now-frozen conflict.
Saudis attack Russia's oil markets
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 19/10/2015
» As President Vladimir Putin tries to restore Russia as a major player in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is starting to attack Russia's traditional stomping ground by supplying lower-priced crude oil to Poland.
Time is running out on the US fracking industry
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 21/10/2015
» The US shale oil industry is in retreat, but it will largely survive next year, and its production decline will not be catastrophic enough for oil prices to shoot up. Scarier things probably await US frackers in 2017.
How countries play the World Bank's rankings
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 03/11/2015
» For some governments, improving their country's standing in the World Bank's Doing Business survey has become a national priority. Yet the results of such efforts sometimes are deceptive.
Return of Adolf Hitler makes for uneasy comedy
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 10/11/2015
» The movie He's Back, a comedy that revolves around the return of Adolf Hitler to modern-day Germany, is a huge hit. There may be more than meets the eye to this success, however.
No city is safe while Syria war drags on
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 16/11/2015
» Although many details concerning the attacks that killed more than 120 people in Paris on Friday night remain unknown, Islamic State appears to have claimed responsibility. France and all other countries taking part in the Syrian conflict should keep in mind Russia's recent experience with this kind of terrorism: it won't cease until the epicentre is dealt with.
Putin waging war on too many fronts
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 26/11/2015
» Has Vladimir Putin finally overreached? The Russian president is confronting several simultaneous crises. Over the weekend, Ukrainian activists blew up high-voltage transmission towers and cut off electricity supplies to Russian-held Crimea. In St Petersburg, his home city, on Tuesday a column of 600 heavy trucks was crawling toward the city government building to protest tolls on Russian roads (a son of a close friend of Mr Putin has a financial interest in the system). And on the Turkey-Syria border, the Turkish air force downed a Russian bomber.