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The trials of Catherine Ashton
For anyone it would be a big ask. But for someone with little or no experience of foreign affairs to be tasked with setting up a diplomatic service and to expound foreign policy on behalf of 500 million people the...
A European Monetary Fund
The first incentive for the EMF kite-flyers is that it would be a "European" not an "international" fund. It cannot be overstated how much European officials fear an IMF bail-out of Greece or other countries. It would not just be.
Iceland: Is the UK a bully?
REYKJAVIK: On Saturday Iceland is holding a referendum. Not that you would notice it. There are no posters on the walls of Reykjavik, there are no public meetings or protest marches. It is the silent referendum. And yet many say...
Can eurozone fix Greece?
The time of shadow-boxing, of feints and jabs, is drawing to a close. The rounds left are few. Over the weeks ahead Greece must find billions to service its deficit. The moment approaches when it can either raise the money...
Greece, the euro and the Nazis
You can often tell the level of strain someone is under when they lash out in a surprise verbal attack. It is true, too, with countries. This week the Greek Deputy Prime Minister, Theodoros Pangalos, turned on the Germans. Greece...
Greeks walk out over cuts
Ships, planes and trains won't be running in Greece today. Schools will be shut down. Government offices and court rooms will fall silent. Hospitals won't be able to offer their normal services. This is the first major strike since the...
Afghanistan: the timing of departure
Timing is everything in politics. Or nearly everything. A decision taken one week can be perceived entirely differently a few months later. Politicians value highly the gift or skill of good timing. So it is worth imagining the talk in...
Conspiracy and the euro
I have reported from many countries where crises are blamed on "foreign hands". More often than not they are unnamed. Indeed these sinister conspirators can have greater credibility if they remain in the shadows. Sometimes the conspirator i...
A way of life under threat
In the United States politicians often speak of the American way of life. In Britain too, there are many eager to defend the British way of life. Their words are rarely defined. Part of the appeal of fighting for a...
The euro weakens
The financial markets were unconvinced by today's pledge of support for Greece by European leaders. The problem was the lack of detail. Early in the day, it was announced that a "deal" had been done - but, as the...
A deal to save Greece
It looks as if there is a deal to bail out Greece. It was agreed by a fairly small group which included the leaders of the two strongest countries in the Eurozone, France and Germany. Also present was the head...
The Euro: A bail out for Greece?
Greece will not ask for a bail-out. It can't do that, an economic adviser close to the Greek Prime Minister told me today, because such a request would undermine the credibility of its plan to reduce its deficit. However, key...
The lesson of Europe's economic crisis
Some European leaders believe that the lesson of the recession and the crisis with the euro is that Europe should coordinate its economic policies much more closely. Speaking in Strasbourg today, when the European Parliament approved the new Commiss...
Fear that shadows the euro
Once again this week the euro is set to unsettle markets and unnerve politicians. Public sector workers in Greece will strike, so giving an indication as to whether last week's austerity programme can be implemented. Pressure will grow on Germany...
Reflections on a 'snub'
In Greece, where I spent the better part of this week, the "snub" didn't register. No one spoke of the perceived slight of an American president passing on attending an EU-American summit. The people there are focused on the real...
EU to police Greek accounts
ATHENS: The Greek government has played its hand by detailing its austerity programme. The news of cuts and tax rises is aimed at different audiences. Firstly, the steps are intended to persuade the markets that Greece is serious about reducing...
EU spotlight on Greek woes
ATHENS: There is a sense in Athens of a key moment arriving over its debt crisis. The Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, is trying to meet the leaders of all the main political parties. There is an expectation that he'll...
Euro's Greek squeeze
ATHENS: I am in Greece to ride out another anxious week for the euro. It is facing its severest test since its birth in 1999. Financial eyes remain focused on Greece and whether it can finance its debt. It needs...
France stirs burka debate
So a French parliamentary commission has ruled that "the wearing of the full veil is a challenge to the Republic". The burka and niqab are "unacceptable", the report goes on, "and we condemn this excess". However, the re...
Behind the burka
Chrystelle Khedrouche is 36 and lives in a suburb just outside Paris. She has been wearing a burka in public for around 12 years. She is French-born, has five children, and is married to an Algerian. She is a convert...
