Category: Europe
Politics in Italy: The party’s over
IT SEEMED, for a moment, just like old times. Italy’s former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, was protesting Christlike innocence (and describing his trials as “Calvary”); prosecutors were accusing him of skulduggery (the alleged bribery of his…
Illegal immigration: The crossing point
IT TAKES a few minutes to cross the Evros river, now the main entry point for illegal immigrants from Asia into Europe, but it can be frightening. On the Turkish side people-smugglers can be armed. In winter the river is fast-flowin…
Ireland and the euro: Kenny’s heroes?
WHEN the Irish go to the polls in a few weeks’ time to vote on the European Union’s fiscal compact, they may be deciding their economic future. Enda Kenny, the prime minister, announced the surprise referendum on February 28th, saying it was an opp…
Charlemagne: Tough talk, no strategy
FACED with denunciations by European leaders, the world’s dictators may be tempted to paraphrase Stalin: “The European Union! How many divisions does it have?” Indeed, the EU has no army, and is beset by divisions of the polit…
Ataturk’s image: A secularist’s lament
Statue with feet of clay?
EVERY November 10th, at 9.05am precisely, sirens wail, the traffic stops and pedestrians stand in silence to pay their respects to Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, who died at that time in 1938. A mi…
Germany’s new president: Enter Gauck
ANGELA MERKEL used to say Germans value freedom too little. That was before she became chancellor and found that voters prefer liberalism in small doses. Joachim Gauck, soon to be president, has no inhibitions. His new book is entitled “Freedom: A De…
Hungary and the European Union: Backing down gently
THE war with the European Union and the IMF may be over, but the peace is not yet won. The response to the European Commission’s proceedings against Hungary shows a government that is backing down. The Hungarians faced sanctions over the independence…
Turkey’s political in-fighting: Erdogan at bay
FOR nine years Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved smoothly from one victory to another, winning three elections in a row with a bigger share of the vote each time. He has seen off coup plots by once-omnipotent …
France’s presidential election: Frontal assault
Tell it to Marine
WHEN Laurent Brice was nine years old and the French elected a Socialist president in 1981, the family threw a party and celebrations spilled into the street. In this old mining town, the political left was the natu…
Serbia, Kosovo and Europe: A Balkan cliffhanger
TALKS sponsored by the European Union between Serbia and Kosovo are a “cliffhanger”, says one EU diplomat. A lot was riding on their resumption this week. Yet if the two sides did a deal their fortunes would vastly improve. Serb…
