Why Corruption Reigns in Spain
Hardly a week goes by without news of another high-profile corruption scandal in Spain. Several theories seek to explain the phenomenon.
Tag: Europe
Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Germany
A highly-anticipated new report that examines the increasing anti-Israel activism of politicians belonging to the German Left Party has sparked a debate over the rise of anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism in post-modern Germany.
A Socialist Debacle in Spain, But Uncertainty Reigns
Spain’s governing Socialist party suffered heavier-than-expected losses in local and regional elections on May 22. The party now faces pressure to call early general elections amid fears that increased political uncertainty in Spain will exacerbate Europe’s debt crisis.
Europeans React to Death of Osama bin Laden
Leading newspapers and magazines in Europe have provided saturation coverage of the death of Osama bin Laden. Although initial media reaction in Europe was overwhelmingly supportive of the American commando operation, media outlets in many countries quickly regained their composure and anti-Americanism has now returned as their default position.
Why Are Pacifist Europeans Declaring War on Libya?
An unintended but highly illuminating irony of the military intervention in Libya is that it has exposed the duplicity behind European pacifism.
NATO Decides its Future
The leaders of the 28 member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meet in Lisbon, Portugal on November 19-20 to chart the future course of the transatlantic military alliance. The gathering in Lisbon is being billed as one of the most important summits in the history of the alliance.
Spain: A Political Risk Analysis
Spain’s debt-laden Socialist government is caught in a Catch-22 situation in which it has failed to satisfy conflicting demands to cut its budget and stimulate job creation and economic growth. If the government cuts public spending to the level needed to reduce the deficit, it will drag down economic growth and make it more difficult […]
Britain’s Looming Defense Budget Squeeze
Although neither candidate has spelled out exactly where the budget axe will fall, military spending will almost certainly take a hit in coming years, regardless of who leads the next government. In fact, all three candidates say the status quo on military spending is unsustainable, and all are calling for a post-election strategic defense review […]
European Union: Global Security Actor or Paper Tiger?
The future direction of European defense is at a crossroads. On the one hand, the NATO experience in Afghanistan has cast into stark relief the limits of European military capacities, not only at the operational but also at the political levels. On the other hand, the recently enacted Lisbon Treaty offers important new opportunities to […]
Spanish Presidency of the EU: High Hopes, Low Expectations
Spain holds the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union from January through June 2010. The following analysis explains the domestic political and economic context facing the Zapatero government during Spain’s EU presidency. It then examines in greater detail several of the Zapatero government’s stated priorities for Spain’s EU presidency, and then closes with […]
Spain’s EU Presidency Greeted with Skepticism
Spain’s six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, which began on Jan. 1, 2010, is off to a bumpy start. With the Lisbon Treaty now in effect, the traditional role of the EU rotating presidency has been downgraded.
End of Obamamania? Europe’s Tepid Reaction to Obama’s Nobel
European newspapers have reacted to Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize with a mixture of incredulity and scepticism. Almost without exception, newspapers across the continent (and political spectrum) are saying the award to Obama is premature and undeserved.
