In The News

Controversial Findings Rekindle Education Debate

Carola Schlaghec March 7, 2003
Debates over immigration policy have been tense in Germany in recent years. This week, however, findings that schools with more immigrant students do worse than schools without immigrants are fueling the discussion even further. Immigrant children, particularly those from poorer backgrounds who do not speak German, have a disadvantage entering the school system. The results of this latest study...

Deal on Setting Up Single European Patent

Francesco Guerrera March 3, 2003
After thirty years of disagreement, governments of the European Union have reached a deal to set up a single European patent. The new patent will be valid in up to 25 nations by the time the agreement takes effect. The deal has been hailed as a testament to the EU’s ability to put aside the differences of member countries in order to shape a European economy that is more competitive globally. –...

Military Aims for Global Reach, but the Budget Remains Tight

Aaron Kirchfeld February 28, 2003
As one of NATO's most skeptical members in regard to war, Germany has traditionally maintainted a small military budget. However, in anticipation of a U.S.-led war in Iraq and with Germany’s international peacekeeping missions in mind, Peter Struck, the German defense minister wants an overhaul of the army.. German troops currently rely on NATO forces to remain mobile, which can leave them...

The Galling Rise of English

February 27, 2003
English is spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, but until recently the European Union was a place where French sometimes dominated. The EU is headquartered in Brussels, and an elite group of French-speaking bureaucrats has influenced the organization for years. New EU member states have been increasingly English-oriented, however, and as more European students learn...

WTO ministers still worlds apart

JUN SAITO February 17, 2003
The prospect of freeing up world trade darkened at the first meeting devoted to agricultural liberalization held in Tokyo. A draft proposal submitted by Stuart Harbinson, the chair of WTO's agricultural negotiations, calling for deeper cuts in tariffs and subsidies on farming products was opposed by a large number of countries. The US and the 17-member Cairns Group of agricultural...

Franco-German Shot at US Punctures Dream of European Power

Shada Islam February 14, 2003
The status of the US as 'the leader of the free world' has come under threat again this week, but the US may not be the only one to get hurt. In an unprecedented challenge to American leadership in NATO, France, Germany, and Belgium vetoed a US proposal to create contingency plans for Turkey. To do so, they claim, would be tantamount to conceding to Washington's desire to wage...

Bavaria and the Case for Free Trade

Timothy Guinnane February 13, 2003
The small state of Bavaria joined, in 1834, a pan-German free-trade area that preceded the formation of a unified Germany. Integration into Zollverein, as this area was called, hurt some Bavarians and benefited others. The author argues that the downsides to such integration – as with today's globalization – are comparatively short-lived. Today, critics of globalization from both developed...