In The News

When I'm 64

Hans Ulrich Maerki November 1, 2007
Europe's population is rapidly aging - the proportion of people over age 65 will increase by 50 percent over the next two decades - posing challenges to private and public pension systems as well as presenting a shortage of skilled workers. Hans Ulrich Maerki of IBM in Europe suggests that older people remain in the workforce longer, endorsing government social-welfare programs that target...

Far-Right Swiss Party Divides Nation on Immigrant Issue

Elaine Sciolino October 17, 2007
With Swiss elections on the horizon, the campaign of the country’s strongest party, the Swiss People’s Party, or SVP, has turned alarmingly xenophobic. The SVP campaign has featured posters, films and speeches attesting to its staunch stance against the immigrant population. SVP offers a vision of foreigners as the “hell” that invades “heavenly” Switzerland, and the party supports the deportation...

How Russia Lost the Moon

Sergei Khrushchev October 4, 2007
Sputnik’s launch 50 years ago marks a watershed event in human innovation. The Soviets anticipated success; for them, Sputnik was another marker in their continuous progression past Western technology. However, a little more than a decade later, the Americans became the first to reach the moon. Soviet efforts in the space race, argues Khrushchev, ultimately failed because of jealousy within the...

Enter, Pursued by a Bear

September 27, 2007
Russia has long known how to play upon the European Union's identity as a unified political entity and as a motley crew of countries with individual interests. When collective resolve seems weak, Russia is ready to talk to the Union, but when it seems strong, Russia talks to member states one by one. EU's current attitude towards Russia owes much to the rhetorical shifts of member...

Sarkozy Urges French to Play “the Game of Globalization”

Katrin Bennhold September 13, 2007
French President Nicolas Sarkozy urges his nation to adopt business-friendly policies, while continuing to defend its values worldwide. To become more globally competitive, France may have to adjust labor polices that restrict employers from firing unproductive workers and require generous benefits, including long vacations and a 35-hour work week. Still, he couched his comments by noting that a...

Skilled Immigrants? No Thanks

Michael Sauga September 3, 2007
Most developed nations have loosened immigration policies in the competition for skilled labor. But not in Germany. Employers want skilled workers, but the government adds obstacles to hiring immigrants, regardless of education or skill, even as thousands of highly trained Germans leave for jobs abroad. “Ironically, just as the German economy embarks on its strongest boom in years, the country...

Moroccan-Born Mayor Dispenses Tough Love to Immigrants

Erich Wiedemann August 6, 2007
Ahmed Marcouch immigrated to the Netherlands when he was 10 years old. With help from teachers, he caught up in school and assimilated into Dutch culture. As mayor of a Slotervaart – a rough neighborhood in Amsterdam with high crime, unemployment and dropout rates – he takes a hard-line stance and urges fellow immigrants to integrate in a country known for its tolerance. The former police...