debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
In less than two months we come to the eightieth anniversary of the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the thirty-second president of the United States (4 March 1933). With some confidence I predict that the anniversary will be celebrated by very few in the United States and only noted in passing by President Obama [...]
From a European perspective, the US election should be no contest, as these results from an opinion survey by Pew indicate. Now if you are a Republican, this may just confirm your view that Europeans are forced to live in just the kind of socialist state that Obama wants to turn the US into, and that we [...]
“Vous verrez, Antoine; dans quelques années ils feront comme si je n’avais jamais existé…” (You’ll see, Antoine; in a few years they’ll act as if I never existed…”) remarks the dying President Mitterrand to his idealistic young biographer in the Robert Guédiguian film Le Promeneur du Champs de Mars. Yet sixteen years after Mitterrand’s death, [...]
Sunday the 6th of May 2012 might become a significant date in European politics. The Greek election results and above all the election of Francois Hollande as new French President might be the start of political change in Europe. I (and others on SEJ) have argued for a long time that the Angela Merkel driven European [...]
Americans are deeply confused about why the economy is so bad – and their President isn’t telling them. In fact, the White House apparently has decided to join with Republicans and blame it on the long-term budget deficit. Before I turn to the President, though, let’s be clear: The lousy economy is due to insufficient [...]
So it’s done. The first permanent EU Council president is Herman van Rompuy and the first High Representative for Foreign Affairs under the Lisbon Treaty is Catherine Ashton. The EU has once again missed a chance to make a real impact on the world stage. The very little known van Rompuy is apparently meant to [...]
So the Irish voted “yes” and barring any last minute grandstanding from Vaclav Klaus, we will finally get the Lisbon Treaty. The debate now is about who will get the big jobs, starting with the full-time Presidency of the Council. Tony Blair is the hot favourite and would, in my view, be excellent for the [...]
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