Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski recently sat down with SPIEGEL for an interview on the failed talks to create an association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. "The West underestimates Russia's determination, but it also underestimates what is happening in Kiev," Kwasniewski told SPIEGEL. Piotr Malecki/ DER SPIEGEL
'Brussels Was Naïve': Ex Polish Leader on Failed Ukraine Talks -- Jan Puhl and Christian Neef, Spiegel Online
Aleksander Kwaniewski led talks with Ukraine for an association agreement with the EU that collapsed last month. In an interview, he criticizes officials in Brussels for underestimating Russia's intentions and the Ukrainian president for ignoring his own people.
Aleksander Kwaniewski, 59, meets with us in his Warsaw office just as he is preparing to leave on a trip to Brussels. He was Poland's president for 10 years, from 1995 to 2005, during which he led his country into NATO and the European Union. Now he has negotiated with Ukraine on behalf of the EU. Together with former European Parliament President Pat Cox, Kwaniewski's mission was to prepare Europe's second-largest country for an association agreement with Brussels. Hundreds of thousands of protesters have blocked downtown Kiev since the Ukrainian leadership backed away from the agreement at the end of November. When Kwaniewski said that Ukraine's pro-European contingent would not be left alone, Moscow accused him of inciting the opposition to stage a coup.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
Whatever happens in Ukraine, if Putin thinks he has won, Russia will have lost. -- Andrew Wood, American Interest
China’s air zone announcement was just the beginning -- Ian Bremmer, Reuters
Time to Get Tough With China? -- Leslie H. Gelb, Daily Beast
Sino-Japanese tensions more a matter of muscle-flexing than a lead-up to war -- Patrick Smyth, Irish Times
North Korea's public purge may have hinged on economic plans -- Donald Kirk, Christian Science Monitor
What does purge say about North Korea's stability? -- BBC
World must awaken to North Korea's camps of horror -- Joshua Stanton and Sung-Yoon Lee, CNN
Opposition should not boycott Thailand polls -- Gulf News editorials
Why is Thailand's democracy so dysfunctional? Blame the king. -- Paul Handley, Foreign Policy
Diplomatic Fallout: For France’s Hollande, African Interventions a Strategic Failure -- Richard Gowan, World Politics Review
Mandela's death gives respite for Jacob Zuma and the ANC – but for how long? -- David Smith, The Guardian
With Nelson Mandela's death the ANC has lost the glue that kept it together -- William Gumede, The Guardian
The Dark Spot of Nelson Mandela's Legacy -- Eve Fairbanks, New Republic
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan: ‘We have to stand on our own two legs’ -- Lally Weymouth, Washington Post
The Egyptian military’s new power grab -- Amir Taheri, New York Post
France Tries to Rewrite Its Role in Africa -- Elaine Ganley, Real Clear World
Don't Expect Germany to Stand Up to Russia -- John Vinocur, Wall Street Journal
Greece's Dismal Demographics -- Nikos Konstandaras, New York Times
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