The Arab Spring
Everything started in Tunisia in December last year when a series of protests against unemployment, inflation and corruption led to the escape of president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on January 14th. Ben Ali ruled the country for 23 years. On January 25th the uprising in Egypt erupted that led to Hosni Mubarak step down after almost 30 years in power. In the meantime unrest spread to Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco and even Iran. The protests differ both in motives and in scale. The countries themselves also differ in terms of system, religious influence and military presence. euinside is following the developments from the very beginning and is looking for the reasons and the impact.

A month ago Bulgaria experienced a terrorist attack that took it out of the provincial sense of bliss that the global terrorism will bypass its lands. The 18 July assault in Bourgas shocked not only the country but half of the world to make them stare even more horror-stricken at the Middle East ...

These days the people in Tunisia are again in the streets. This time for a celebration: the first anniversary since the fall of dictator Ben Ali. One year ago street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and triggered a powerful wave of protest started in North Africa that reached the Midd ...

Global political elite is gathering in Paris for the international conference 'Friends of Libya'. The event, which will be held tonight at the Elysee Palace, will be hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Both leaders were those who initiated the NAT ...

Nobody knows where Muammar Gaddafi is. And it appears as nobody in his former bastion Tripoli cares about that. The rebels are celebrating their victory on the Green Square, although they still don't have complete control over the city and at some places fighting is still going on against the Co ...

Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov is probably imitating his colleagues, especially those of them who defend the national interests of their countries in the EU. Probably because of this, he has believed it is possible to maintain a distance on a topic which, indeed, provides Bulgaria with a few reason ...

A cover of the Russian Profile magazine from September 2011 gives an almost prophetical hint to today's diplomatic stalemate on Syria. The famous Russian expert of Arab affairs, former Prime Minister, foreign minister and head of the intelligence Evgeny Primakov makes the V-sign under a big titl ...

New Libya will be a country of reconciliation, tolerance and rule of law, the head of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, promised to the international community. "The Friends of Libya", that were gathered at the Elysee Palace, in turn promised their full support ...

Unlike the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the situation with the Arab Spring caught the West off guard. No one expected it, no one had been prepared. It is no accident that I mention Afghanistan and Iraq in one sentence with the Arab Spring. In the first case we are talking about "enforcing" of de ...

Neither are they many, nor are significant the changes the European Union is offering in a joint communication of the European Commission to Parliament, Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, entitled A New Response to a Changing Neighbourhood. The ...

After intense weeks of negotiations on March 17th the UN Security Council approved a resolution, authorising the use of force in Libya, aimed at protecting the civilian population especially in the eastern city of Benghazi, where colonel Muammar Gaddafi threatened to storm the city and that he w ...