Independence Square, Kiev

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Ukraine is Europe’s second largest country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine gained independence and changed position toward closer integration with  Western Europe.

While Ukraine and Russia share common historical origins, the west of the country has closer ties with its European neighbours, particularly Poland, and nationalist sentiment is stronger there.

A significant minority of the population uses Russian as its first language, particularly in the cities and the industrialized east. […]

Moated castle in Southern Sweden

BRIEF OVERVIEW

Sweden is a sparsely populated country, characterized by its long coastline, extensive forests and numerous lakes. It is one of the world’s northernmost countries. In terms of surface area it is comparable to Spain, Thailand or the American state of California. Sweden’s borders have been unchanged since 1905 and the country has not been at war since 1814. […]

Bridge over Danube, Belgrade, Serbia

POLITICAL CONTEXT

Serbia was one of six republics that made up the country of Yugoslavia, which broke up in the 1990s. In Feb. 2003, Serbia and Montenegro were the remaining two republics of rump Yugoslavia, forming a loose federation. In 2006, Montenegro split from Serbia. In December 2009, Serbia applied to join the EU. The Serbian parliament apologized for the massacre of Bosnian Serbs at Srebrenica in a landmark March 2010 resolution. Delaying Serbia’s request for EU membership was the fact that two major war crimes suspects were still at large. […]

Montenegro, Kotor an Old Town

 GENERAL INFORMATION

Montenegro is located in Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia with border countries as follows:  Albania 186 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 242 km, Croatia 19 km, Kosovo 76 km, Serbia 157 km. Highest population density is concentrated in the south, southwest; the extreme eastern border is the least populated area. For a country of just 650,000 people with 2,000 military personnel and an area smaller than Connecticut, Montenegro has strategic value out of proportion to its size. Its dramatic Adriatic coastline of 293.5km, the source of its appeal to tourists, is also attractive in strategic terms because of its easy access to the Mediterranean. […]

Roman Theater in Amman

GENERAL INFORMATION

Jordan is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the east and south; Iraq to the north-east; Syria to the north; Israel, Palestine and the Dead Sea to the west; and the Red Sea in its extreme south-west. Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordan’s most populous city as well as the country’s economic, political and cultural center. […]