Milena Hrdinkova: The Czechs will not sacrifice economic convergence for monetary integration
By Ilya Roubanis
The question of the Czech Republic’s monetary union with its European partners is as controversial an issue there as it is in Denmark, Sweden and...
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All eyes on Italian banks
By Ilya Roubanis
As the Italian government remains adamant on holding on to promises of increased public spending and lower taxation, all eyes are turning on Italian lenders....
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Brexit deal stumbles on Ireland
By Ilya Roubanis
A Brexit deal is “within reach” next week, the European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier asserted on Wednesday. That is an ambitious statement that...
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From Athens to Rome: the classics in European crisis management
By Ilya Roubanis
If you have been following the Italian news, you might have a sense of déja-vu. History is making the most of experience, as it’s never repeated. When...
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Commission pressures Malta over its financial transparency
By Ilya Roubanis
The European Commission is gearing up to send an unprecedented rebuke of the Maltese government over their failure to reign in widespread money laundering. The Commission’s warning...
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The challenge of ports in a hard Brexit scenario
By Ilya Roubanis
In August 2017 the UK released its proposal for the future border relations with the EU. London’s main idea is referred to as “a highly streamlined customs...
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What’s the deal with no deal Brexit
By Ilya Roubanis
A disorderly Brexit is likely. No deal was better than a bad deal, but unlikely, until the summer of 2018. In August, no deal became...
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Will Italy destroy the Eurozone?
By Ilya Roubanis
Euro-critical discourse is mainstream in Italy. The current government is a coalition that encompasses left and right traditions of sovereigntist politics. The economy is the...
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UK Conservatives turn their face from Brussels to Washington
By Ilya Roubanis
Theresa May received no lifeline from EU heads of States in Salzburg on Thursday. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, made clear that the...
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Erdogan tightens his political grip over the economy
By Ilya Roubanis
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is tightening his political grip on the Turkish economy, trying to fend off an unprecedented financial crisis. At first sight, Turkey is...
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Rome resists fiscal consolidation calling for “systemic” Eurozone reforms
By Ilya Roubanis
While Pierre Moscovici calls on Rome to keep its budget deficit under control, the Italian government is calling for debt restructuring. Italy remains on a collision course...
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Leave hardliners wait for May to return from Salzburg
By Ilya Roubanis
Harline Leave campaigners are blocking the way to a Brexit deal with Brussels. In a speech at the London School of Economics on Thursday, September...
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Sweden Democrats lose the elections but mould the debate
By Ilya Roubanis
Alliance politics is the continuation of political confrontation by other means. In Sweden, elections have not been the end of the political debate but rather...
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Warsaw demands bigger role in European Investment Bank
By Ilya Roubanis
EU finance ministers meet on Friday in Vienna to negotiate how the UK’s share in the European Investment Bank (EIB) is going to be replaced,...
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The risk of Brexit without transition
By Ilya Roubanis
This week it became apparent that a “no deal” Brexit is now possible, if not probable. As Theresa May failed to rally her party and government behind...
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All eyes on the Swedish Democrats
By Ilya Roubanis
The far-right Swedish Democrats (SD) are still on course for a strong result on the forthcoming legislative elections of Sunday, September 9. Opposition to migration...
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Weidmann mellows his monetarism to pitch for Draghi’s chair
By Ilya Roubanis
For two years speculation abounds over the candidacy of Jens Weidmann to succeed Mario Draghi at the helm of the European Central Bank. Weidmann has undermined Draghi Weidmann can hardly contain his ambition,...
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The Italian chicken game
By Ilya Roubanis
Rome and Brussels are locked in a chicken game over the budget. The pressure is on Italy, as the cost of refinancing its sovereign debt...
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Posts published in “Uncategorized”

The Quest for Mundane Democracy in Georgia

The Quest for Mundane Democracy in Georgia

By Ilya Roubanis on March 24, 2013

Democratura is a term that would resonate perfectly with a post-Soviet republic, such as Georgia, mainly because it is a word designed to resemble the…