In The News

False European Hopes of a Chinese Savior

Jonathan Holslag June 28, 2011
Europe courts China with hope of financial rescue. “Europe’s economy is now sufficiently damaged that China alone can never do enough to help it recover,” writes researcher Jonathan Holslag for the Financial Times. “To put it bluntly, why should we expect Chinese companies to create jobs in Europe when our own ones stumble under the weight of high wages and taxes? And why should we expect our...

How the Euro Became Europe's Greatest Threat

June 22, 2011
Ordinary Europeans are losing patience, wondering if more bailouts can possibly stem the crisis once and for all. A handful of finance ministers scramble to contain the damage, preventing the Greek crisis from spreading and forcing cuts in valued social programs in nations where citizens did not overspend. The euro’s founders did not envision such a crisis or the political fury over a huge...

The Eurozone Heads for Breakup

Nouriel Roubini June 16, 2011
Greece, a nation of 11.2 million, owes more than €300 billion. Restructuring the debt is inevitable, notes Nouriel Roubini in a blog posting for the Financial Times. The only unknowns are how and when. Europe united behind the euro as a single currency before enacting structural reforms and streamlining monetary, fiscal and exchange-rate policies, Roubini explains, adding that “early interest...

A European Generation Takes to the Streets

Mathieu von Rohr, Helene Zuber June 13, 2011
Europe’s youth are showing new awareness of the implications of deficit spending, a lack of jobs, widening gaps in income and social protections, and other systemic problems. Governments in Europe, like those in Arab states, must contend with discontent as increasing numbers of educated, yet unemployed youth analyze their plight, organize protests and develop policy proposals via social media....

Can Turkey’s Rise Lift Arab Neighbors?

Katinka Barysch June 9, 2011
Turks head to the polls on June 12th, and are expected to approve a third consecutive single-party government led by popular Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But consolidation of power and his party’s overconfidence could hamper democratization and reforms. The government has failed to display regional leadership by steadfastly ignoring the pressures at its borders and this affects...

Defenders of the Schengen Zone Face a Battle

Stanley Pignal June 7, 2011
Economic and social unrest in North Africa contribute to increasing illegal immigration to Europe, and extremist parties take advantage of the turmoil to blast European cooperation over open borders. “At the very least, there will be new ways for countries to re-impose temporary border controls within the Schengen zone, which has expanded since its inception in 1995 to include most EU countries...

Lawsuit Looms Against Germany Over Cucumber Scare

Gregg Benzow, Sarah Harman June 2, 2011
The scramble to identify a deadly food-borne illness can quickly ruin reputations. At least 10 nations have reported hundreds of cases of an infection by a deadly mutation of E. coli to the World Health Organization, raising fear, confusion and speculation about the source. Hamburg, Germany, initially blamed Spanish cucumbers, before conducting tests and backing away from the claims days later...