Idea Of U.S.-Style Bailout For Europe No Longer Unthinkable
Until very recently, many in Europe thought the continent could avoid the worst of the financial crisis sweeping the United States. As the storm swept in from across the Atlantic, European policymakers appeared confident. Europe could come through relatively unscathed.

Czech Spying Accusations Against Russia Spark Political Storm
Recent Czech intelligence reports have sounded the alarm over intensified intelligence activity by Russian and other foreign agencies focused on a planned U.S. missile-defense radar to be built near Prague and on strategic assets set to be privatized by the Czech government.

At Summit, Merkel Criticizes Russia Over War In Georgia
German and Russian leaders met on October 2 in St. Petersburg, with Russia seeking to demonstrate that business is back to usual in the wake of its war with Georgia. But at the annual summit, known as the St. Petersburg Dialogue, German Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for his country's conduct during the hostilities in Georgia two months ago.

Russian, German Presidents Meet Amid Tense Ties
Senior German and Russian officials are meeting in St. Petersburg, with Russia seeking to show business is back to usual in the wake of the Georgia crisis. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier are participating in the talks, as is Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

EU, U.S. Conduct Two-Pronged Diplomacy In Caucasus
The two-pronged diplomatic strategy by the EU and the United States is very evident in the South Caucasus this week and shows what the division of labor between Brussels and Washington will be. The EU has its sights set on the short term. Trying to exploit whatever influence it has with Moscow, Brussels' aim is to get the Russian troops to pull back from as much of Georgian territory as possible.

EU Monitors Begin Georgia Patrols, But Russian Restrictions Add Confusion
The first of some 300 European Union observers have started a monitoring mission in Georgia. They are part of a cease-fire deal brokered by the EU after the August conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Under the deal, Russia agreed to withdraw all forces from territories outside South Ossetia and another breakaway region in Georgia, Abkhazia, within 10 days after the EU monitors deploy.

European Rights Commissioner Paints Grim Picture Of Georgian Conflict Zone
Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, recently completed a visit to Georgia to assess the humanitarian situation there. The trip included conversations with displaced persons and other victims of the conflict between Russia and Georgia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, first-hand access that few Westerners have seen since the outbreak of hostilities in early August.

Rights Groups Say South Ossetian Militias Burning Georgian Villages
In ethnic-Georgian villages across South Ossetia, the stories are disturbingly similar. Paramilitary irregulars roll into town, pack their cars and trucks with anything and everything of value, burn all the houses to the ground, and move on. Nadia Terashvili, a resident of the Georgian enclave of Beloti, had heard what happened to nearby villages, and knew what to expect when South Ossetian militias showed up.