French economic growth is slowing, unemployment is rising, Greece is still a risk to default, and the crisis-rocked euro—while somewhat stabilized of late—is still not out of the existential woods. Yet despite those burning …
E.U.
Is a New European Union Ad Racist? Controversial Video Campaign Is Pulled
The European Commission was forced to recall a video ad promoting the expansion of the European Union amid allegations that the content was racist.
In the style of a bad Quentin Tarantino knockoff, the video called “Growing Together” depicts three men of different ethnic backgrounds menacing a Caucasian woman. As the heroine walks …
Must-Reads From Around the World: March 7, 2012
French Frankness —Trailing in the polls with less than two months to go before Election Day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled tough new policies on immigration Tuesday, the Daily Telegraph reports. During a televised …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 6th, 2012
Fleeing Syria — Fearing for their lives, hundreds of Syrians are fleeing their country, crossing its western border into neighboring Lebanon, the Associated Press reports (via the Guardian). Urging the U.S. to intervene in the …
Ukraine’s Eurovision Selection Marred by Right-Wing Racism
In the opening bars of “Be My Guest” — Ukraine’s entry for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest — the Ukrainian surma horn suggests that something highly traditional is about to unfold. Within 15 seconds, however, strains of …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 2, 2012
Treaty Talk – A fiscal compact aimed at capping euro-zone debt was signed by 25 of the 27 European Union states on Friday. The Guardian reports that the new measures will be put to the test immediately, as Spain and the …
Ballot-Box Watch: Your Guide to March Elections
Global Spin previews upcoming polls from around the world
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 1, 2012
The Lady – Exiled Burmese media the Irrawaddy analyzes Aung San Suu Kyi’s prospects for a cabinet post after by-elections on April 1, mooting the health or education portfolios. “Both would be a good fit—she has often …
The Sun Rises, and the Son Quits: James Murdoch Resigns from News International
On Feb. 26, Rupert Murdoch celebrated the launch of the Sun on Sunday—the newspaper he hopes will fill the gap in the market created by the closure of the News of the World. But for a man who grew wealthy buying up small …
How Sarkozy’s Petulance on a Proposed Law Illustrates a Bigger Political Problem: Himself
The decision Tuesday by France’s constitutional watch-dog striking down a pending law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turks produced reactions one might have anticipated: applause from Turkey, …
Must-Reads from Around the World: February 29, 2012
Weight of History – Following a backbench revolt in the German parliament Monday over the Greek bailout that’s left Angela Merkel’s coalition government weakened, Der Spiegel reports former Chancellor Helmut Kohl has stepped into …
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Can Syria’s Assad Fight His Way to Political Survival?
Despite the death and destruction his security forces are raining down on opposition-held neighborhoods in Syria, President Bashar Assad is unlikely to succeed in crushing a year-old rebellion. International revulsion at the …