In The News

DW: Theresa May to Lead Brexit Talks With EU

July 24, 2018
British voters voted in favor of leaving the European Union, 51 to 48 percent, in June 2016. The close vote, combined with inaccurate claims by supporters and accusations of Russian interference, would encourage a caution on Britain’s part. Analysts now anticipate a soft Brexit, with Britain retaining close ties with the EU, amid reports that Prime Minister Theresa May is controlling Brexit...

Telegraph: Montenegro and US Blow to Key NATO Principle

July 19, 2018
With his series of meetings in Europe, Donald Trump was a diplomatic bulldozer. His attempts to defend disparaging comments about close allies and NATO, after displaying bizarre deference with Russia’s president during a press conference, fuel alarm about Trump’s understanding of the alliance. During a post-summit interview, Trump criticized Montenegro and appeared to agree with a question that...

South China Morning Post: Japan and EU Sign “Biggest” Trade Deal

July 17, 2018
The European Union and Japan signed a large trade deal even as the US president has imposed tariffs and criticizes major trade partners including the European Union, China and Mexico: “Both sides also signed a strategic partnership agreement, a framework aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including security, cybercrime and climate...

Reuters: British Foreign Secretary Quits Over Brexit Plan

Elizabeth Piper, William James and Andrew MacAskill July 9, 2018
European nations share many trade, travel and security benefits from membership in the European Union. In 2016 with a close vote, British voters supported leaving the union after assurances that exit would be easy. As details on Brexit costs emerged, Prime Minister Theresa May favored retaining close ties with the EU – with a free trade area on goods but restrictions on immigrants. Two cabinet...

Spiegel Online: Toughest Adversary in Europe

Walter Mayr June 29, 2018
Italy’s interior minister is a populist who opposes immigration, firing up crowds by suggesting the European Union has treated its third largest economy as “garbage.” His party, Lega Nord, is a junior partner in the coalition government, but he is the most outspoken leader with tough talk crafted perhaps to distract Italians from their debt challenge – standing at more than 134 percent per GDP,...

Spiegel: Time for the EU to Isolate Trump?

Roland Nelles June 19, 2018
European leaders wrestle with how to deal with disruptive US policies. The G7 meeting in Canada reflected the divisions and erosion of US disdain for strongmen’s ways. Writing for Spiegel Online, Roland Nelles describes the brutish approach: disdain for agreements made by predecessors, rejection for the rules of international order or rational arguments, fawning over leaders of Russia and North...

Bloomberg: Why East Germans Invest and Vote Differently

Leonid Bershidsky June 12, 2018
Political ideologies wield cultural influence long after communities move on to new systems. Separate research studies suggest that people of East German demonstrate cautious investing patterns, with preference for former state companies, as well as those associated with Russia and China rather than the United States. “The eastern ‘investing identity’ is more pronounced in communities that were...