Columns from the Wall Street Jounal Europe

Gazprom's European Web

This occasional report by Roman Kupchinsky examines Russia's state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom, exposing the threat this organization poses to European energy security.

Russian LNG - The Future Geopolitical Battleground

This occasional report addresses the historical shift in the global natural gas industry away from overland pipeline deliveries and toward liquefied natural gas, as well as Russia's move toward becoming a leader in the emerging LNG market.

Beyond the Afghan Trauma: Russia's Return to Afghanistan

As Russia grapples with the Afghan question and its security implications, this report takes a closer look at Russia's re-entry to the region after a twenty-year absence.

Wall Street Journal Europe Columns

There are 20 files.

A Model for Central Asia December 2-4, 2005 WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE Kazakhstan's president, strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev, will almost certainly be returned to power on Sunday, when the country heads to the polls. His rule of this vast Central Asian country, held since the fall of the former Soviet Union, has prioritized stability. But thankfully, Mr. Nazarbayev is driven by economic incentives that will hopefully move the country along a democratic path in coming years.

The Great (Pipeline) Game October 7-9, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE Almaty, Kazakhstan: The rapidly changing nation of Kazakhstan, and its despotic neighbor Turkmenistan, can help the West -- in particular Europe --- reduce its dependence on Middle Eastern and Russian oil and gas.

Vienna Sunset September 2-4, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE Like those old soldiers in Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech, international organizations past their active life never die; they just fade away...

Losing the Steppes July 8-10, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "At their summit this week, Russia, China, and four Central Asian countries asked the United States and its allies in the antiterrorist coalition to set a date for withdrawal of their forces from Central Asia..."

Europe Must Not Lose Sight of the Frozen Conflicts June 3-5, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "The European Unionâ€™s Common Foreign and Security Policy is one of the major casualties of the voter backlash against the EUâ€™s constitutional treaty..."

The Stars and 'Stans' April 26, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL "The recent political upheaval in Kyrgyzstan, however inconclusive, has at least helped refocus Western attention on the "stans" of Central Asia, which also include Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan...

Orange Gold April 15-17, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Ukraine’s successful Orange Revolution is rekindling interest in using the oil pipeline from Odessa on the Black Sea to Brody on the Polish border, opening a way for Caspian oil from Kazakhstan to reach Europe..."

The Moldovan Front: Next Test for Post-Soviet Democratization March 4-6, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "'Together, we can complete democratization’s third wave in Eastern Europe,' Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in Moldova this week ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections there..."

Needed: A Few Good Men for a Border Watch January 21-23, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Can the U.S. and the EU give at least one example of working together to stabilize the Black Sea region, that new Euro-Atlantic neighborhood? If so, they should urgently organize a group of allied and partner countries for a non-military mission to monitor Georgia’s northern border..."

RX For a Drowning Organization January 7-9, 2005 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe limped into 2005 without a budget, and its one and only successful undertaking in the security sphere -- the Border Monitoring Operation in Georgia -- was amputated by Russia on Jan 1..."

Ukraine Isn't the Only Target December 3-5, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "The Kremlin-led assault on democracy in Ukraine, ongoing these past few months, is the latest and most visible move in a strategy that extends to the entire EU/NATO neighborhood, even targeting incipiently some countries in the Euro-Atlantic community..."

The Contest for Ukraine's Soul November 19-21, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Ukraine’s presidential election runoff on Nov. 21 is the prologue to an approaching East-West contest -- not “over” Ukraine as is often said (as if this 48-million nation were a disputed object), but for this nation’s European and indeed Euro-Atlantic future..."

Is the OSCE Still Alive? November 5-7, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Intensive discussions are under way inside the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the decisions and documents to be adopted at its year-end conference..."

Raising NATO s 'Relevance' Question In Afghanistan1015wsj October 15-17, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "An informal meeting of NATO countries’ Defense Ministers in Romania on Oct. 13 listened to Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer appeal for more troops for NATO’s Afghanistan operation, and its closer coordination with the U.S.-led Enduring Freedom operation in Afghanistan..."

An Opportunity on the Dniester October 1-3, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Even as President Vladimir Putin is liquidating Russia's federal system, Russia and the OSCE’s American-led Moldova Mission persist with a project to appoint Russia as main "guarantor" -- with troops in place -- of a new Moldova-Transdniester “federation.”..."

On the Ground in Abkhazia and South Ossetia September 3-5, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "To visit Abkhazia and South Ossetia, armed separatist enclaves in Georgia, as I did two weeks ago, is to watch the ongoing destruction of international law and order by a brand-new modus operandi..."

And Finally "Linguistic Cleansing': Latin Script Banned in a European Land0813wsj August 13-15, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Thirteen years ago this month, a last-ditch attempt at preserving the Soviet Union---the putsch of August 1991---failed everywhere in the crumbling empire, except in one corner: In the Transdniester region of Moldova, the Russian military and KGB prevailed, cementing the power of Soviet diehards who were already then mutating into Greater-Russia militants..."

The Separatist International July 23-25, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "In case you never noticed South Ossetia, the armed separatist enclave in Georgia, take notice now..."

Missing in Istanbul: NATO Almost Bypassed the Black Sea-South Caucasus Region July 2-4, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "NATO’s summit, just held in Istanbul, seemed consumed with the ongoing crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, and preoccupied to heal internal disagreements over those crises..."

Introducing the Interfront Candidates for Brussels June 11-13, 2004 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE "Along with the rest of the countries in the European Union, the three Baltic states are holding elections to the European Parliament this week..."