In The News

“Partner for Russia”: Europe's Far Right Flirts With Moscow

Charles Hawley April 16, 2014
Members of the far right want to put a chokehold on government power in Europe, a goal shared by Russia. “Skepticism of immigration and a keen worry about the threat posed by Islamist extremism make Putin a natural ally for a xenophobic right whose political bread and butter is their vociferous attacks on European immigration policy,” reports Charles Hawley for Spiegel Online. “His heavy-handed...

Spitzenkandidats: EU Parliament Elections Become Explosive

Christoph Pauly and Christoph Schult March 19, 2014
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, and the European Parliament plays a key role in deciding the president, the top post in Brussels. “But British officials are uneasy with the notion that the selection of the next head of the European Commission should be linked to the results of the European Parliament elections,” explain Christoph Pauly and Christoph Schult...

Venezuela Unrest Shakes Up Opposition

Andrew Cawthorne and Diego Ore February 28, 2014
Protesters and opposition candidates blast Venezuela for problems listed by the US Central Intelligence Agency: “a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, rampant violent crime, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.” Reuters...

Ukraine After Yanukovych

David R. Cameron February 27, 2014
In November, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych rejected signing an Association Agreement with the European Union and later negotiated a bailout deal with Russia. Months of protests led to a week of violence and culminated in Yanukovych’s removal from office. The parliament moved swiftly to reorganize: demobilizing the police, firing most of the government ministers, and electing Oleksandr...

US Policy Toward Venezuela: Seeing The Larger Picture

Steve Ellner February 25, 2014
Some critics question US policy that weakens central governments and calls for regime change in pluralistic states like Ukraine or Syria without good strategy for the next step in governance. “Could it be that in cases of governments considered adverse to U.S. interests, Washington prefers a civil war over a normal situation free of discord and violence?” questions Steve Ellner in an essay for...

Debt Ceiling Redux?

James Leitner and Ian Shapiro February 20, 2014
US Congress raised the artificial debt ceiling to pay bills without a fuss, but the move may galvanize extremists who want to slow government spending, explain James Leitner, president of Falcon Management, and Ian Shapiro, a Yale political science professor. Economists around the globe agree the United States should slow spending and reduce debt, but oppose the crude approach that would...

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

Nayan Chanda February 20, 2014
Subsidies, originally intended as a tool of fairness, often transform into a tool for political power. The subsidies carry costs, both financial as well as with distorted and destabilized markets. Governments struggle to manage budgets, huge stockpiles, wasted resources and even unrest, explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor in his column for Businessworld. “History is replete with examples of...