Is France set for a second Le Pen-Macron showdown?

The first round of voting in the French presidential election will happen Sunday — and despite expectations of the last few years, the run-up appears increasingly anti-climactic. But not all is said and done in the campaign. Continue reading on The Spectator Pictures are Creative Commons

EU Green Policies Back On The Table

Russia’s war in Ukraine has shaken every political consensus in Europe. Within weeks, Germany’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline deal with Moscow was cancelled, and the principle of not sending weapons to war zones went out the window. Just three years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron called NATO “braindead.” Now, nobody in Europe is echoing this […]

France’s Presidential Election: Frustration Or Indifference

France recently held its regional elections—do not worry if you did not know, because apparently it was news to many French people as well. With a historic abstention rate of 66 percent, the French have never cared less for who is governing their region. In some regions, less than 12 percent of eligible voters took to the […]

[Video] Interview with Jean-Claude Juncker

This video was recorded by Lëtzebuerger Journal in December 2020, for the show “Elo mol éierlech” (Let’s be honest) that I am hosting on their digital platform. The video is available for free on the website of Journal. (original language: Luxembourgish // subtitles available in English) Here is a short clip: If you want to […]

Europe Needs a “New UK”

French President Emmanuel Macron accused the “Frugals”, i.e. the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden (during the last European Council summit, Finland also joined this group) of “acting like Brexit Britain.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had demanded a smaller proportion of grants – handing out money without having to repay it – instead of loans awarded by […]

G-‘meh’

The international body lacks democratic legitimacy and usually devolves into Trump bashing. Why should America host it next year?

Trump’s worst export is his trade policy

The latest news in Donald Trump’s multi-front trade war is focused on China, in the wake of the president’s decision (over the objections of most of his advisers) to impose a fresh round of tariffs on Chinese goods and China’s unsurprising threats of retaliation. As troubling as those developments are, we shouldn’t move too quickly past his other […]