The elections in France ousted from power one of the leading opponents of Turkish accession to the European Union- Nicolas Sarkozy. Although the new French President, Francois Hollande, ruled out the possibility of Turkey entering the European Union during his five-year term the Turks are optimistic enough to reopen their entry bid. There are three […]
The batch of downgrades on European credit, delivered over the weekend by Standard Poor’s ratings agency, prompted angry threats that Europe would have to create its own ratings agencies to bypass the American ratings agencies. The downgrades made yesterday’s credit and recovery plan calculations obsolete by increasing the cost of borrowing for nine European countries. […]
Do you believe that 2012 will be more difficult for the global economy than 2011 was? Well, that is what German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes. The woman that has become the most important politician in Europe recently declared that 2012 “will no doubt be more difficult than 2011”. The funny thing is that she has […]
Thank you for inviting me to Berlin. It is an honour to be here in this beautiful city of Berlin. When I was here last year I emphasized how important Germany is for all of us. We all benefit from a healthy, democratic, self-confident Germany. Much has happened since my last visit. In the Netherlands […]
The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) took a hit when the German government decided to withdraw its support for the system. MEADS is a ground-based terminal ballistic missile defense (BMD) system developed jointly by the United States, Italy, and Germany. Germany’s step is not surprising. In February, the U.S. Department of Defense decided to […]
Germany is pushing behind the scenes for a “hard” default in Greece with losses of up to 60pc for banks and pension funds, risking a chain-reaction across southern Europe unless credible defences are established first. Officials in Berlin told The Telegraph it is “more likely than not” that investors will suffer fresh losses on holdings […]
As PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas proceeds full steam ahead with plans to seek a unilateral declaration of a PA state using the 1948 armistice lines for its borders by the United Nations some observers say he may be invoking the law of unintended consequences. The Opposite Effect? Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator for […]
Normally, nobody aside from political science buffs paid much heed to the Finnish elections. This time Europe was fully tuned in due to the rise in the polls for the True Finns, a populist party that opposes bailouts for the EU’s beleaguered members. Now the interest in Finland will persist as the True Finns quintupled […]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is in Germany today, hoping to ward off European endorsement for a unilaterally-declared PLO state. His alternative plan is almost equally worrisome to the nationalist camp – members of which are also in Germany, meeting with Freedom Party leaders. German officials said that on the table in today’s talks between Netanyahu […]
On Saturday, process won out over substance in the reaction to the agreement by leaders of the eurozone on measures to combat the European debt crisis. Since there was so much advance speculation that no agreement could be reached, the very fact that the leaders reached an agreement touched off a wave of financial optimism. […]
