The January-February 2016 issue of New Eastern Europe opens with an inconvenient truth; that Europe is starting to lose focus on its Eastern borders. Considering the costs that are at stake we highlight the message put forward by Andrew Wilson who writes that when it comes to Ukraine “now is not the time to lessen attention or lose faith”. His words are reinforced by Ukrainian MP and reformer, Hanna Hopko, who poignantly states that: “The process of state-building is not particularly attractive to the media.”
Russia also remains a critical country that deserves greater attention, and one that is not solely limited to Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric and military manoeuvres. With many voices in the West advocating for an end to the sanctions and stronger cooperation in international affairs, we have asked our authors to help us construct a broad p