In The News

Slowed EU Expansion in Balkans: Wall Street Journal

Laurence Norman December 5, 2019
European Union member states disagree about the bloc’s enlargement in the Balkans and may add new hurdles to what is already a lengthy membership process. France has proposed changes to the accession process, suggesting that the EU should concentrate on integration for current members rather than external expansion. Proponents of enlargement, including Germany, are distracted by domestic issues...

Impeachment Hearing With Legal Scholars: NPR

Philip Ewing December 5, 2019
Constitutional law experts offered context on the impeachment inquiry that investigates the Trump administration’s delay in distributing congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine while requesting that country’s president to announce investigations of a political rival. Donald Trump and his supporters deny there was pressure. Three professors testified about holding deep concern over the...

Is Crisis of Capitalism a Crisis of Democracy? DW

Alexander Görlach November 26, 2019
Protests are breaking out worldwide: over corruption in Lebanon and Egypt, rising fuel prices and cuts in subsidies in Chile and Ecuador and France, sectarian power-sharing in Iraq and Lebanon, worries about housing prices and Chinese control in Hong Kong, separatist movement in Spain, and failure to enact climate-change regulations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austriaand New...

Hong Kong Elections: South China Morning Post

Jeffie Lam, Sum Lok-kei and Ng Kang-chung November 25, 2019
More than 70 percent of Hong Kong’s registered voters turned out for district council elections, firmly rejecting unchecked control from China. “The tsunami of disaffection among voters was clear across the board, as pan-democrats rode the wave to win big in poor and rich neighbourhoods, in both protest-prone and non-protest-afflicted districts and, in downtown areas as well as the suburbs,”...

Impeachment and the World: Project Syndicate

Carl Bildt November 22, 2019
US diplomacy is under a cloud as details emerge from US impeachment proceedings. The investigation focuses on efforts to persuade Ukraine’s new president to announce an investigation into activities of a US politician's son. Ukraine, at war at Russia, depends on a show of US support, including a meeting with President Donald Trump and release of military aid approved by Congress. Witnesses...

Postponed Drills as Peace Attempt: Washington Post

Simon Denyer November 21, 2019
The United States and South Korea have postponed military drills planned for late November. This action was not a concession, but “a good-faith effort” to promote peace in Korea Peninsula, according to Mark Esper, US defense secretary. Since the Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, joint military drills have been scaled back, though smaller...

Netanyahu Indicted: Times of Israel

Raoul Wootliff November 21, 2019
Israel’s attorney general announced that charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust will be filed against Benjamin Netanyahu. This comes as both Netanyahu and opponent Benny Gantz failed to form a coalition government. Netanyahu describes the charges as false, calling for an independent commission to investigate the investigators. “He brushed off calls for him to resign so he can deal with his...