Voices

Voting took place on Sunday (22 November) in presidential and parliamentary elections in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in the Sahel Region of Africa. The elections were overshadowed by violence from an Islamist insurgency. President Kabore is expected to win reelection, while opposition candidates have warned of "massive electoral fraud." Official results are not expected for some days

The UN, through its mission – MINURSO, is still expected to maintain the ceasefire, and take quick steps to determine the political future of the Sahara. Yet the effectiveness of MINURSO, without a renewed commitment from Morocco and the Polisario Front, is doubtful.

In this analysis, Maximiliaan van Lange discusses the recent Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, and Europe’s reaction.

Tehran has launched shuttle diplomacy and announced an "Iranian Plan". In this analysis Noman Ahmed says Iran seeks to reduce risks and costs for itself from the ongoing conflict

The use of cluster munitions will have long-term consequences for peace and for the safety of citizens in the region for a long time, writes William Murray.

William Murray analyses the background and asks what has caused this change of tactic

Russia has all the hard and soft power tools necessary to influence events in the South Caucasus, but may not want to use them to intervene in the current conflict just yet.

The EU has some difficult decisions ahead as tensions between Greece, and Turkey escalate. Noman Ahmed and Maximiliaan van Lange analyse the background to the current stand-off.

The clock is ticking for Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, but his tenure in office may yet drag on for a while unless the opposition consolidates and cracks emerge in the ruling elite, argues Alexander Petrossian in this analysis.

Istanbul is the most iconic city for women's emancipation in Turkey and today Istanbul's name is also associated with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, writes Elife Biçer-Deveci

A report by the Baku think-tank CESD says the shadow economy has to be eliminated, while state-owned enterprises must be required to implement deeper reforms. The report concludes that "transition to a more liberal regime seems to be reasonable within this context."

Russia's dependence on ruling elites in the post-Soviet space reduces its capacity to influence, argues Benyamin Poghosyan

commonspace.eu is evolving. We are stepping up as part of our mission to contribute to the debate about Europe’s future role in the world, and we are expanding our coverage to include the whole European neighbourhood to the East and to the South. We aim to provide accurate news and original analysis, and offer a forum for diverse views and opinions.

Islamist attacks haven shaken France. Vincent Tiberj on Muslims under general suspicion and the difficult role of the Left.

Lasha Darsalia, Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia discusses relations with Russia, and how Georgia views the recent agreement ending the Karabakh War in this exclusive interview with commonspace.eu. He also lays his vision for South Caucasus regional co-operation.