Latest posts
A New Direction for EU-Russian Relations?
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As Europe suffers a severe a cold snap, EU-Russian relations are experiencing a proverbial chill. The diplomatic cooling is the result of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s criticism of Putin’s democratic credentials. The sharpness of Ash...
Carlos Slim and Telecommunications in Mexico
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Carlos Slim is well known in Latin America and abroad as one of, if not the wealthiest CEO in the world. He was even mentioned on the Colbert Report this past week introducing him to the American public as someone who’s net worth trumps that of Mit...
CSDP Challenges for 2012
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The last two years were a bumpy ride for the European security policy. One may claim that the Europeans once again failed not only to convey a clear message about their security goals to the foreign partners, but also to take concrete actions in orde...
From Movies to Reality: Is Britain still a Great Power?
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These last couple weeks I have been watching numerous movies on British politics. Coincidence or calculations? Yesterday night, it was Tinker, Tailor, Sailor, Spy, the night before Page Eight (which by the way is one of my favorite spy movies), tonig...
The Beginning of the End of the Global Economic Slowdown: A Possible End to the European Union?
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Anyone watching the end of the year documentaries on stations like the BBC and other international broadcasters likely feel the sense of slight growth in the United States mixed with slowing growth in places like South America and other regions that...
Tensions in Europe: Is France Starting Fires all around Europe?
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This end of year has been quite tumultuous in Europe: European citizens are in the street, rating agencies threaten to downgrade the rating of some members of the Eurozone, the race to elections is going full speed in several EU countries, all this t...
A German Pact for Europe
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Yet another euro crisis summit is over, and yet another deal has been struck. This time, the deal has taken the shape of an intergovernmental agreement. If I am not mistaken, and I may very well have lost count by now, that makes nine summits and fiv...
UK Rejects Drafting New Eurozone Treaty: Continent Isolated
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At least 23 and perhaps as many as 26 of the 27 members of the European Union have agreed to an inter-governmental agreement that may or may not save the euro from the bond market vigilantes. A full-blown treaty failed because there was not unanimous...
The EU: 2011 In Review
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Summary of 2011 For the EU, any summary of the 2011 will necessarily be dominated by the sovereign debt crisis. The crisis, starting in late 2009, seems to have no end. The past year, and the year before that, has seen a string of crisis talks result...
Year in Review: Awarding the European Political Elite
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Reflecting on 2011: where to start? 2011 has been another busy year for writers, analysts and students of foreign policy: from the Arab revolutions, to the nuclear disaster of Fukushima, to the war in Libya, to the Euro crisis, to the domestic turmoi...
What Germany’s Failed Bond Auction Means
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011, Germany sold 10-year Bunds at its debt auction worth 3.64 billion euro with an average yield of 1.98%, and the bid-to-cover ratio was 1.1 , while the Bundesbank retained the remainder of the 6 billion euro offering. To m...
Why Europeans Need More EU, But Don’t Want It
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Brussels has always had a bum rap in Europe. Brussels is that faraway place where decisions are made over the heads of people. Brussels is considered undemocratic and technocratic, and is contrasted unfavorably with the familiar closeness of national...
Why Germany Must Ultimately Write the Check
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The eurozone saga (it isn’t a crisis as the Greek word implies a short time-frame) could end happily today – and that has been the case since the whole sorry affair began. All that is necessary is for the European Central Bank to announce tha...
Why is the Greek Referendum Right, but Absolutely Wrong?
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This year has been all about Greece. The troika, meaning the IMF, ECB, and Commission, have been working on containing the Greek crisis and limiting the contagion to the rest of the Union and ultimately to the global markets. The outcomes of the meet...
The German Dilemma
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The Foreign Policy Association just released its latest annual National Opinion Ballot Report. Many issues have been tackled in this very interesting report, from the reconstruction of Haiti to the financial crisis to multilateralism to the Horn of A...
FPA National Opinion Poll: German Discipline for Euro Deadbeats!
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The recent release of the FPA’s National Opinion Ballot Report once again provided valuable insights into the thoughts and opinions of informed Americans on the important foreign policy issues of the day. Among other items, the poll returned an ov...
2012: The End of the World as We Know It?
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Hollywood and other sects have made millions of dollars speculating on the eventual end of the world in 2012. However, should 2012 be instead seen as the year of the renouveau? Powerful states will go through a change of leadership next year; as is t...
USSR: Union of Soviet Skype Researchers
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Did you know that Skype comes from Estonia? Ok, smartypants. But did you know Skype loves the Soviet Union? Well, maybe not loves exactly, but at least gives credit where credit is due. For some reason, Baltic people are not exactly what you’d...
Bashing the European Union in the United States
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Since the recession, bashing the European Union has become a sport for U.S. commentators. Just skim the most recent headlines, and one is led to believe that the old continent is on the brink of economic, political and social collapse. The truth is t...
Euro, Zombies, and Greece: A Discussion with Dr. Lorca-Susino
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What makes a currency unique? The symbols, monuments, leaders figuring on the paper money, are exemplifications of the collective identity and shared culture. In the case of the Euro, as underlined by Gideon Rachman, the symbols on Euro’s coins and...
