What ails Bulgarian security and defense policy in the EU?

It is hard to talk about security and defense policy in Bulgaria. Instead, there are pieces of the puzzle here and there, dispersed in different agencies without proper coordination. The new understanding of security as a product of internal security and international crisis management is not yet in the agenda of the relevant institutions. In fact, if I have to be precise, Bulgaria does not even have a strategic vision of its security and defense.

Russia’s new “collective”… defence

At the end of 2008 Russia restarted its collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, and Armenia. That is hardly any news, but more interestingly, last week the first training of the reaction force of the organization took place. While resurgent Russia is obviously trying to counterbalance NATO in the region and get strategic access to the energy-rich authoritarian Central Asia, CSTO also shows grave internal divisions.

How to make the best of EU’s energy policy?

After the January gas crisis the issue of energy security and gas supply is increasingly discussed in Bulgaria. The country has very energy inefficient economy and is almost 100% dependent on Russian gas imports. This is why the question about Bulgaria’ s participation in the big energy projects is every more relevant. Solving the energy security issues in Bulgaria depends on solving them at European scale. The mega projects Nabucco and South Stream are often mentioned as saviors of EU’s energy security, but they are too expensive and hard to come about politically. Besides, these projects are all about pipes, but not about developing of gas sources and effective distribution. Instead, the EU needs Single Energy Policy and an Energy Regulatory Agency to diced about gas imports, exports and transit at EU-wide level. This is the shortest way to deliver more energy security and to optimize consumption and reserves.

Какво липсва на българската сигурност и отбрана в ЕС?

Трудно е да се говори за политика за сигурност в България. По-скоро в последните години има отделни парчета от пъзела на сигурността и отбраната, а вместо политика – управление на проекти. Новото разбиране за сигурността като продукт на вътрешния ред и управлението на международни кризи също не е в дневния ред на водещите институции. Всъщност, ако трябва да съм точен България няма визия за сигурността и отбраната си.

Ethnicity, Democracy and Human Rights – A Turkish Bulgarian Saga (Part 1 )

It has been twenty years after the Eastern European Countries opened for liberalism and democracy. For two decades they are having various degrees of success, but in most of them there is no alternative undemocratic project. This year the European Commission issued a short video commemorating the struggles of East European Societies for rights and freedom which they eventually achieved. Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1961, Poland’s Solidarnost, etc, – they are all there. Bulgaria is the only country of the new member states that is not in this video. Here I present the only reason why it may have been included – the revolt of Bulgarian Muslims and Bulgarian Turks against communist oppression in the late 80s. Controversy, the first and only out loud desire for human and civil rights has left scars that still divide Bulgarian society and have serious imprint over the current political system.

Bulgaria’s reversible democracy

Bulgaria is not trying to be the Switzerland of the Balkans any more. In the past such slogans may have channeled some energy for overcoming the burden of the communist heritage, but today they are a mere disguise for what one would call democratic reversal in one of the newest EU member states.

21st Century (anti)Democracies

Defining democracy seems to be a hard thing to do. 20 years ago, when the Berlin Wall was still splitting Germany into two, it was easy to say what democracy was and what not.

On one hand we had total control over populations, while on the other hand were elected governments, accountability, and powerful civil societies.