Sep 2020. Germany announces shifting approach to China

In European politics it has become something of a truism that Germany is first among equals. Where Germany goes, so goes Europe, as a leadership role is ascribed to Berlin in a variety of issues from the Eurozone crisis of 2012 to dealing with COVID-19 and its economic consequences. There are signs that the German… Continue reading Sep 2020. Germany announces shifting approach to China

May 2020. EU Coronavirus Bailout Plan

May 2020. A One Trillion Euro Bailout Package for the European Union to help cope with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic would be a game-changer for the bloc, an analyst told Euronews. Guntram Wolff, director of the European think tank, Bruegel, said that the financial package currently being debated in Brussels would be “a… Continue reading May 2020. EU Coronavirus Bailout Plan

Apr 2020. Syrian War Crimes Trial in Germany

April 2020. After her arrest for protesting against the government in Syria in 2011, Nouran Alghamian landed in a notorious interrogation center, locked in a bug-infested isolation cell so small that she couldn’t lie down. She begged to see the center’s commander, Anwar Raslan, and pleaded for a normal cell. Mr. Raslan laughed at her,… Continue reading Apr 2020. Syrian War Crimes Trial in Germany

Apr 2020. EU Virus Crisis

April 2020. The European Union has scraped through its latest crisis by the skin of its teeth. The past week has been a disgrace. When ministerial talks collapsed on Thursday over the plan for a “coronabond”, the reaction seemed terminal. Germans and Dutch insulted Italians and Spaniards. Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said his country… Continue reading Apr 2020. EU Virus Crisis