By Robert Hart Spain is in the grip of its most serious constitutional crisis in years, with the government of the north-eastern region Catalonia, the wealthiest and most powerful of the country’s 17 autonomous regions, staging a fresh bid for full independence. The...
The Irish border is emerging as a surprisingly tough obstacle on Britain’s path to leaving the European Union. A truck passes a sign calling for not returning to hard border crossings after Brexit, near Killeen, Northern Ireland, Britain, 21 August 2017 (EPA/Aidan...
Visiting Ukraine, would I find a grim, tense nation shaking off its Soviet past and at war with itself? I discovered a vibrant society and hopeful youth. “Heavenly Hundred” Memorial. (Photo by Bernd Debusmann, Jr.) Landing in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev...
New U.S. sanctions on Russia might look like just another diplomatic move following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. But they could have dire consequences. Part of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia, 28 July 2017. (EPA/Sergei Chirikov) The U.S. Congress has...
France takes a stricter stance towards the Islamic veil than the U.S. Yet despite legal protections, Muslim women still face discrimination in the U.S. Pakistani women hold a banner during a rally to mark World Hijab Day and show solidarity for Muslim women in France....
President Emmanuel Macron wants to restore France’s grandeur. But will the gestures of his first two months in power lead to concrete results? French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Arc de Triomphe, 3 June 2017. (EPA/...
Taking up arms against fake news, a team of experts in Europe’s capital is highlighting fake news peddled by pro-Kremlin news outlets. Rebel soldiers at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, Eastern Ukraine, 20 July 2014 (EPA/ Robert Ghement) The...
Suffocating bureaucracy, mountainous debt and political instability keep Italy stuck in the past, with little hope for innovative reforms. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in front of a photo of another former premier, Matteo Renzi, Rome, 21 June 2017....
Immigration is a fact of life in our globalized world. But how can newcomers maintain their cultural identities in an era of Trump and Brexit? Can immigrants maintain their identities and traditions in their new homes? Or should they assimilate fully to ensure...
I urged British voters to stay away from the polls this month. Why? Because the state lacks moral legitimacy. I do not preach violence but urge abstention. Earlier this month, on the day British voters went to the polls for a snap parliamentary election, one of our...