Topic: Central Europe

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Quirky Christmas traditions around the world
Gallery: Best and worst cities to live in
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 05/17

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Terrorism & Security Global defense spending dips for first time in 15 years

Defense budget cuts in the US and Europe were more than enough to offset an increase in spending by rising powers like Russia and China.
'Carmen,' gypsies, bohemians, and 'others'

A performance of 'Carmen' reminds the Monitor’s language columnist how vexed our language for various 'others' is.
Iron Curtain

You won't find a better book about the beginnings of the Cold War than this National Book Award-nominated study by Anne Applebaum.
Global News Blog Krakow's mini-boom in IT attracts Polish and foreign techies

Some 70 multinational firms have opened, employing 20,000 skilled workers – Poles and foreigners alike – in Krakow, which some call a small Silicon Valley of Central Europe.
Energy Voices Europe has had enough, but can it stand up to Gazprom?

Europe wants to escape Gazprom's stranglehold by diversifying into shale gas. But Gazprom is throwing up obstacles.
Opinion: Beyond Afghanistan, a weakened NATO can still write its own future

As the NATO summit in Chicago wraps up, it’s clear that NATO is in a tough spot, navigating a tenuous transition in Afghanistan as a prolonged euro crisis slashes its capability. NATO must look closer to home to restore its credibility in areas our citizens agree are high priorities.
West must support democracy in Arab world as it did in Central Europe

Western leaders must support democracy in the Arab world now in 2011 as they did in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989. The time for viewing dictatorships as defenders of Western civilization is finished.
Opinion: Slave labor? I didn't get paid for this piece – and I'm OK with that

More and more writers are publishing their work without payment in exchange for the promise of 'prestige' and 'platform.'
Democracy comes in waves, and Tunisia's 'jasmine revolution' may be the Arabs' turn

The rise of democracies since World War II seemed to come region by region, from Africa to Latin America to Asia. Are Arab states of North Africa and the Middle East next?
Quirky Christmas traditions around the world

Christmas cheer is widespread in the days leading up to Dec. 24 and 25, but it manifests itself in many different ways, from predicting the future to trying not to choke on a hidden coin. Below are just a few of the many unusual Christmas traditions around the world.
Opinion: NATO summit reality check: Brilliant policy vs. real world resistance

The NATO summit laid out excellent plans for ongoing security, including Afghanistan and Russia. It's brilliant policy. There's just one problem: implementation happens in the real world – where countries are slashing defense budgets and publics resist ongoing military engagements.
Former Putin prime minister talks about his former boss

Mikhail Kasyanov tells Americans how he traveled the road from prime minister to Vladimir Putin to an outspoken leader of the Russian political opposition. His story of life inside the Kremlin reveals much about the enigmatic Putin.
Vienna ranked best city in world; Baghdad worst

Mercer's 2010 Quality of Living Survey ranks 221 cities, with Vienna at the top, Baghdad at the bottom, and Honolulu as the best in America. But the list of best places to live arguably values comfort over dynamism.
Gallery: Best and worst cities to live in
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 05/17
Singing the praises of a lamium that doesn't spread

Discover why giant dead nettle makes its way onto this gardener's list of favorite plants.
US, Poland status of forces pact deepens military cooperation

The US, Poland status of forces pact signed Friday allows deployment of a missile defense system to go forward. An earlier proposal for a more robust missile system had drawn the ire of Russia.
Opinion: Want to cut emissions in the US? Change the discussion

In times of war, the US government has successfully appealed to citizens' patriotism. That can work now, too.
In Prague, Biden shops toned-down missile shield to Czechs, Poles

US Vice President Joe Biden toured Eastern Europe this week with a new missile-defense plan designed to reassure the Czech Republic and Poland that they aren't being forgotten as relations warm with Moscow.
Austrians shudder, Hungarians cheer as frontiers fall

Rich nation recoils at influx of impoverished neighbors.
The Year That Changed the World

Two decades later, a journalist remembers the rapid crumbling of European communism.
After the fall of the wall: Middle Europe reemerges – sort of

The connections of the old Habsburg Empire have reappeared, post cold war, but regional identity has not.
Study finds prime time on the Internet is 11 p.m.

According to a study, North Americans have been staying up late to do their Internet surfing this summer, so late that the peak usage for the whole day has been at 11 p.m. Eastern time.
Opinion: Seventy years after World War II's start, old enemies take stock

Polish enmity toward Germany is gone, but tension with Russia remains.
Jews hope to reclaim their architectural legacy in Eastern Europe

The region's Jewish communities are now largely gone, but a growing movement seeks to restore and protect the synagogues, cemeteries, and other remaining landmarks.