Dangerous currents advocating protectionism are alive and well on both sides of the Atlantic. A “Buy American” clause in the latest U.S. stimulus package may have been eased to avoid violation of bilateral trade agreements, but its protectionist intentions remain. But the European Union is in no position to lecture …
The European Parliament has voted in favor of creating a European army. Although the initiative has a typically innocuous sounding acronym, SAFE (Synchronized Armed Forces Europe) it represents a major step toward the EU’s takeover of Member States’ armed forces. SAFE will be directed by an EU directorate, with its …
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, an EU Head of State and current President of the European Council, has been dealt another vicious insult by the European Parliament. Speaking before the plenary session in Brussels yesterday, he criticized the juggernaut of EU integration and the democratic deficit felt between the EU and …
Like all international bodies, the European Union is concerned about public diplomacy. So in order to communicate its message more effectively, the European Parliament launched its own internet-based TV Channel this September – “Europarl-TV”. At a cost of €40 million (c. $50 million) over four years, the Parliament’s Vice-President for …
The British Government’s decision to ban Dutch MP Geert Wilders from entering the country is another chapter in Britain’s story of shamefully appeasing radical Islamists. Mr. Wilders had been invited by Lord Pearson of Ranoch to show his film, Fitna, in the House of Lords. Fitna is a short, online …
Despite Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe last week, and Secretary of State Clinton’s meeting with the Czech Foreign Minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, this week, we still don’t know whether this Administration will honor U.S. agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic to deploy elements of a U.S. missile defense …
Just as Europe is in the midst of a particularly cold winter, Russia’s quasi-governmental gas giant Gazprom has turned off the gas taps to Ukraine, a major transit corridor for Russian gas into Europe. Gas shortages are being reported in several countries, including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and the Czech Republic. …
With all the excitement surrounding Obama’s historic victory last week, relatively little attention has been given to the outgoing President’s legacy. In fact, most of Europe just seems relieved that the age of ‘Bush’s cowboy unilateralism’ is finally over. It is often difficult to judge a President before the fog …
As the world marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, it seems a lifetime ago that Europe was plunged into unimaginable darkness, resulting in approximately 20 million military and civilian deaths within four short years. Yet four British veterans of World War I survive today, …
