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Ivan Krastev
For Ivan Krastev's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Beyond COVID-19
Dec 27, 2020
The pandemic of fear
When people are isolated in their homes and haunted by fear, boredom and paranoia, one of the few activities that does not cease is discussion of the coronavirus.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 18, 2016
Russia looking for regime change in Turkey
Vladimir Putin seems to have dug in for a long-term policy of sapping Turkey's economy and undermining President Recep Tayyip Erdogan politically.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2015
Hard lessons for the Ukrainian school of war
Russian President Vladimir Putin remains involved in Ukraine largely for pedagogical reasons. His message to the sanctimonious West is that Russia will not tolerate meddling in its backyard.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2014
Russia's 'mini-Cold War' strategy
What is the geopolitical payoff for Russia in turning Ukraine's Donbas region into an enduring fixture of its southwestern hinterland?
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2014
Wary West caught off guard by Putin's wild ways
At this point, the West has no idea what Russia is willing to do to restore its influence, but Russia knows exactly what the West will — and, more important, will not — do. This has created a dangerous asymmetry.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2013
Why making Europe 'German' won't fix crisis
It's now common to hear analysts say Europe must become 'German' to exit from its crisis, adopting Teutonic approaches to policy. This is a wrongheaded idea.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2013
Greater disclosure can feed conspiracy theories
One of the most troubling outcomes of the global financial crisis has been a collapse of trust in democratic politicians. What good has transparency done?
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2012
When China rules, Chinese will not set the rules
For a European these days, thinking about the future is disturbing. America is militarily overstretched, politically polarized and financially indebted. The European Union seems on the brink of collapse, and many non-Europeans view the old continent as a retired power that can still impress the world with its good manners, but not with nerve or ambition.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2012
EU must stop pretending it can change Russia
The post-Cold War order in Europe is finished, with Vladimir Putin its executioner. Russia's withdrawal from the Treaty of Conventional Forces, its deliberate efforts to block the election monitoring of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Kremlin's refusal to ratify the reform of the European Court on Human Rights (Protocol No 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights) all marked its passing.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2008
How EU should engage a born-again power
SOFIA — The post-Cold War order in Europe is finished, with Vladimir Putin its executioner. Russia's invasion of Georgia only marked its passing. Russia has emerged as a born-again 19th-century power determined to challenge the intellectual, moral and institutional foundations of the order.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores