In The News

France Grapples with Globalization

Sushma Ramchandran July 19, 2005
Facing increased pressure from analysts to rethink its economic policies, France is grappling with threats to its traditional way of life as a result of globalization. Although the French are accustomed to a relatively high standard of living, the government is being urged to reduce its huge subsidies, which support education and provide safety nets for the unemployed. In a country with an...

Politics Intrudes in Bombing Inquiry, Deepening the French-British Rift

Elaine Sciolino July 18, 2005
After the London terrorist attacks, British law enforcement and intelligence officials invited peers from two dozen European countries and the US to pool intelligence crucial to track down the attackers. This overture was unprecedented – intelligence agencies rarely exchange information, and then on a bilateral basis – but appropriate to the nature of international terrorism. Just two days...

Security, Terrorism and the U.K.

Chatham House July 18, 2005
In response to mounting concerns about terrorism, as well as the attacks of July 7, Chatham House, an independent think-tank, has commissioned a report on counter-terrorism and security policy options for the UK as part of its New Security Challenges program. Frank Gregory and Paul Wilkinson discuss the need for a change in thinking about what constitutes the greatest threat to Britain’s national...

Opel on the Outside, Mao on the Inside

Gerald Traufetter July 13, 2005
Lined up at the port in Antwerp, Belgium, are 200 new five-door sports utility vehicles – the first Chinese-produced cars to reach Europe. Despite their close exterior resemblance to the Opel Frontera, the imported models do not match the high quality of Western versions. It is the low price of the cars, however, that appeals to consumers. Manufactured in China, the utility vehicles cost 40...

Europe's Angry Muslims

Robert S. Leiken July 12, 2005
While Americans worry about terrorists crossing the Mexican border, the newest mujahideen can take an easier route: armed with European passports, they are able to pass through US Customs unchallenged. Radical Islam is gaining in popularity among the disenfranchised and underprivileged second-generation European Muslims. According to writer Robert S. Leiken, Western Europe "never learned...

Camera Phones Lend Immediacy to Images of Disaster

Yuki Noguchi July 8, 2005
The invention of camera phones has allowed everyday people to capture images of great political and social significance in an unprecedented way, sometimes beating professional photojournalists to the punch. Several survivors of yesterday's terror attacks in London recorded images of bombed subway cars and fellow victims on their camera phones. Their pictures were broadcast to the world on...

Angst of a Stagnating Germany

Dominic Sachsenmaier July 5, 2005
In the midst of fierce debate concerning the future of the EU, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's call for a September election has opened a national discussion about the future of Germany. Since the unification of East and West Germany, the economy of the formerly prosperous welfare state has stagnated. Already high jobless rates are intensified by competition with low-wage foreign...