Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former First Minister and a prominent figure in British politics, is beloved by Scottish citizens as a hallmark activist and progressive feminist leader. That is, until she was publicly arrested on allegations of embezzlement and fraud. On June 23, 2016, 52 percent of the United Kingdom electorate voted to withdraw from the […]
Tag: european union
Estonia’s Iron Lady Takes Center Stage in European Politics
At just 1.4 million people, Estonia’s entire population is smaller than the city of Paris. As a quiet, reserved country, Estonia may be unassuming, but its people are formidable. For leaders like Kaja Kallas, it is that calm, fierce, and profoundly underestimated spirit that drives her courageous leadership. Numbers are never a deciding factor when […]
The Euro Problem: Is Further Integration the Solution?
Twenty-five years after its launch, the eurozone is failing its citizens. In Spain, the unemployment rate sits at 10.29 percent. In Greece, 26.9 percent of people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Meanwhile, Italy’s public debt has climbed to 137.9 percent of GDP, the second highest in the euro area after Greece. The […]
Nauru’s Citizenship for Sale: Golden Visas and the Price of Survival
Imagine lazing on a beach on an island in the South Pacific — the temperature is always 80 degrees, the water always perfect, a mimosa in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other. Life has never been better on the paradise of the Nauruan shores. This isn’t real. What won’t be noticeable […]
India’s Regulatory Crossroads: Can It Balance Growth and Control in the Tech Era?
In just two years, a 194 million dollar investment by Apple’s supplier, Foxconn, has turned Chennai into a thriving tech hub. This shift, fueled by policy overhauls and geopolitical shifts, positions India as a prime alternative to China’s production dominance. But how did India get here, and what hurdles remain as it steps into the […]
Might Makes Right: the DRC, Rwanda, and a Shifting World Order
The winding path of international politics has reached a fork of values: enduring liberalism versus an emergent imperialism. Our new path will be chosen in Central Africa, a war-ridden and oft-ignored part of the world, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing a resurgence of violence inflicted by its neighbor Rwanda. In 2012, […]
How to Ruin a Deal: Europe’s Farmer Protests, One Summer Later
Image Source: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images
France Constitutionally Protects Abortion in Monumental Vote by Legislators
In an era where reproductive rights are a hot-button issue in many countries, France has managed to explicitly codify abortion within its constitution—the most extensive protection of abortion and assertion of reproductive rights a nation has enacted in history. In response to an amalgamation of tension elsewhere over abortion, as well as persistent activism within […]
The Dangers of Politicizing Western Humanitarian Aid
At the dawn of the 20th century, failing dictatorships and crumbling empires left millions of people vulnerable to poverty, hunger, war, and extermination. The “free” world, with all its graciousness, has aided tens of nations to alleviate their suffering. Statistically, numerous humanitarian assistance projects, which the Western bloc primarily manages and funds, have shaped the […]
Chipping Away at the Bloc: Hungary’s Crossroads with the EU
Following the large-scale casualties of World War II, the human condition was at its trough. Some 75 million lost their lives, and a similar number of people were forced to flee their home countries. Consequently, the European Union (EU) formed, intended to create a coalition that negotiates intercontinental peace in the midst of conflict. However, […]
How Government Inaction Threatens Migrants’ Lives in a French Refugee Camp
Every year in northern France, between the popular tourist venues of the Opal Coast and the cold Flemish beaches at the border with Belgium, thousands of people hide behind dunes and between bushes waiting for the sun to set. When the sky is dark and the air still, they drag on the shore precarious embarkations—commonly […]
Lessons in Hitting Rock Bottom: The United Kingdom’s Fall From Grace
In September 1923, the Empire of Great Britain, already the largest the world had ever seen, grew to its peak geographic size following its assumption of control over the territory of Palestine. A century later, the United Kingdom has become one of the foremost declining powers of our time as domestic incompetencies, divisions, and delusions […]
Turkey’s 2023 General Election: A Turn in Turkey’s Democratic Future
Turkey today has undergone democratic backsliding in recent decades, as Turkish President Erdogan has transformed Turkey into an increasingly authoritarian state. With its general election ongoing, Turkey has been thrust into the spotlight as current President Erdogan faces opposition Kemal Kilicdaroglu. President Erdogan has become increasingly unpopular due to policies that dismantled key aspects of […]
America’s Potential Subsidy Race with Europe
“It should be a race against time, not a race against each other. It should be a race to the top, not a race to the bottom.” These were the words uttered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in response to the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While maintaining diplomatic poise, the E.U. […]
Why the Rise of Far-Right Populism Could Spell the End for the EU
Swedish voters went to the polls on September 11th as the last remnants of summer clinging in the air began to dissipate in expectation of the colder months ahead. As the results began to roll out, lawmakers around Europe could feel chills running down their spines. Swedish Democrats, the far-right nationalist party, had managed to […]
What Can We Expect in the 2022 French Presidential Election?
This coming April, French voters will elect their new president. While the election is still months away and not all candidates have been announced, speculation is well underway. Most notable has been the rising presence of right-wing populist and TV anchor Éric Zemmour, who is making waves by scaring the political establishment with his neo-Nazi […]
Caught in the Middle: The Immigration Crisis Between Morocco and Spain
At the end of August, diplomatic sources confirmed that Karima Benyaich, the Moroccan ambassador to Spain, would resume her duties in Madrid. The announcement signaled reconciliation after a months-long diplomatic crisis. Morocco recalled Benyaich from her post in May after tensions between the two countries escalated following Spain’s decision to allow Brahim Ghali, leader of […]
Institutional Fragmentation and the Future of American Data Protection
All social media companies operate around the same basic principle. You are not the customer of Facebook — you are the product. When we speak about data, we are referring to bite-sized pieces of information about people. Where you live, how you vote, and what your favorite soda is are all examples of individual data […]
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Trafficking of Sweden’s Migrants
In times as politically uncertain and turbulent as these, it is tempting to idolize countries that appear idyllic. For many, Sweden is that utopic model that other Western democracies pale in comparison to. While Sweden is a remarkably functional and stable state with many admirable qualities, its consistent celebrity amongst those of us unfortunate enough […]
Brexit: An End to the Uncivil War
In July of 2019, Boris Johnson defeated numerous moderates within his own Conservative Party to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Political pundits immediately called him a lame duck. He had no mandate, no working majority and no realistic plan to pass Brexit, which loomed ominously over his premiership after destroying the careers […]
No Exit? A Complicated Situation for the EU in Mali
Four hundred European and Malian troops were sleeping or standing guard at the Koulikoro training center at three in the morning when the two pickup trucks drove up. The driver of the first truck got stuck on a bump outside the camp, but the second truck made it all the way to the entrance and […]
A Real Pain in the Dniester: A New Era of Tension in Moldova
Moldova is the 33rd-largest country in Europe, a small slice of land tucked between Ukraine and Romania. Politically, however, it is stuck between the EU and Russia. While this corner of the continent rarely makes headlines in the United States, it is far from tranquil and has been unable to escape the strategic maneuvering of […]
Defective Democracies
With a friendly slap in the face and shake of the hand, the president of the European Commission addressed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as “dictator” during his visit to Latvia in 2015. This name-calling was most likely in response to Orban’s recent appeals for an illiberal democracy, professing his plan to separate Hungary from “Western European […]
Electoral Breakthrough or Electoral Persistence? Forecasting AfD’s Future in the German Parliament
The Western world breathed a sigh of relief after the triumph of the young independent centrist Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Front, in the French presidential election. His victory was hailed as a sign that the emerging tidal wave of populism that had culminated in the Brexit Vote and […]
The British Identity Crisis
Boris Johnson, the new foreign-secretary of Britain, was the driving leader of the Brexit campaign. It is yet another night in London, when the usually busy and crabby British gather in local pubs to loosen their ties and sip on bitter beers. The slightest mention of politics or Brexit has people roll their eyes and […]
We Need to Talk About Sovereign Debt
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, a key figure in sovereign debt restructuring. Featured image source: World Economic Forum. A brief summary of sovereign debt crises. Sovereign debt crises occur regularly and often violently. Take the example of the latest prominent debt crisis in Greece. Major markets in the US and in Europe were […]
The Nordic Model: No Universal Holy Grail
Nordic countries have become somewhat of an international sensation. In the last decade, they seemed impervious to the economic and social woes that ossified economic growth in Europe and Asia and reflected extreme inequality in the United States. Many attribute their success to the “Nordic model,” a unique political and economic template that has raised […]
Too Close to Call: The 2015 UK Election
The UK general election will be held on May 7, and the race is on between the ruling Conservative Party led by Prime Minister David Cameron, and the opposition Labour Party led by Ed Miliband. The latest polls show the two parties virtually tied, meaning it is likely a coalition with other parties will be […]
Britain De-Unionizing
Britain is closer than ever to walking out of the E.U. Source: conservativehome.com After narrowly dodging a political bullet when the 2014 referendum for Scottish independence failed to pass, British Prime Minister David Cameron found himself caught in yet another European political struggle, this time on a larger scale. Now, Cameron faces newfound political […]