In The News

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...

Allies Face a Fresh Crisis

Joseph Fitchett February 10, 2003
The differences over Iraq that emerged between France, Germany and the US in the UN Security Council have now widened and spilled over into NATO. The Bush administration and Congressional leaders were furious at a news report about a secret Franco-German plan to boost the number of arms inspectors in Iraq. That dispute has now spread to NATO as France, along with Germany and Belgium, blocked...

Schröder's back is against the wall

Elise Kissling February 7, 2003
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Great Britain, Spain, and several eastern European states has left France and Germany the only major EU opponents of war in Iraq. If France abandons German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder during the next UN war resolution vote, Schroder will be on his own in Europe. Schroder must maintain the support of antiwar Germans while earning the backing of his own Christian...

Filmmakers Seek Protection from U.S. Dominance

Alan Riding February 5, 2003
The World Trade Organization has begun a new round of negotiations on trade in services, and European filmmakers, fearful of foreign media giants intruding further into domestic industries, are hosting a cultural convention at the Louvre to campaign for continued cultural protection. Although cultural products are currently exempt from the regulations of the WTO, American and other international...

EU Must Face Up to a Fractured Future

Anatol Lieven February 2, 2003
Despite repeated protests against American unilateralism, European Union leaders may have to reconcile themselves to the idea that they will be unable to prevent the Bush administration from waging war in Iraq. While the oft-cited “Transatlantic gap” has yet to materialize, the power gap between the United States and Europe has never been more real. As this opinion explores, without a drastic...

The Qaeda Vipers in Europe’s Bosom

Jonathan Stevenson February 1, 2003
Europe has been a hotbed of al Qaeda activity, even serving as a planning center for some of the militant Muslims who carried out the September 11 attacks on the US. Social conditions for Muslims in Europe are such that many Muslim immigrants feel alienated in places like Britain. Though European governments have been aggressive in arresting terrorist suspects since September 11 and have...

Crisis Over Saddam a Huge Test for Europe

Doug Bandow January 31, 2003
The leaders of France and Germany both threaten to veto a UN Security Council war resolution. Such a veto could deal a significant blow to the United States’ legitimacy in pursuing war. For the United States to take that threat seriously, however, France and Germany must develop what is now ambiguous opposition into real action and support from other like-minded nations. Otherwise, Doug Bandow...