What do Abkhazia, South Ossetia, North Cyprus, and Crimea have in common? They are all the subjects of territorial changes in Europe which to a large extent have not been fully accepted by the international community as legitimate. The most disputed case is that of Crimea.  After the Russian Federation invaded and annexed Crimea in February-March 2014, the actions were denounced by many nations as a violation of international law. The UN General Assembly resolved, by vote of 100-11-58  on March 27, 2014,  that states should not recognize or act in any way that might be interpreted as recognition of the annexation. In addition, the Council of Europe in April 2014 suspended the voting rights of Russia in its Parliamentary Assembly.  It is therefore surprising and disconcerting that the Plenary Assembly of the Council on June 24, 2019 ended the suspension and reintegrated Russia into the organization. The decision can be looked at in two ways....(Read Full Article)