Putin’s willy-waving shows his failure – Russia is not an attractive option. He can only win friends by force. This is a sign of weakness, not strength. Good piece, worth a read.
March 1, 2014
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
March 1, 2014
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Putin’s willy-waving shows his failure – Russia is not an attractive option. He can only win friends by force. This is a sign of weakness, not strength. Good piece, worth a read.
March 1, 2014
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Good stuff. Only thing I’d add is a general attack on a whole load of journalists and news organisations who should have known better than to repeat unverified information and allegations from blatantly biased sources (on both sides) in an … Continue reading
January 23, 2014
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
The pictures coming out of Kiev yesterday (decent galley here) gave me – and no doubt plenty of others – a bit of a flashback to November/December 2004’s Orange Revolution. The riots are in protest against the same president and … Continue reading
June 14, 2012
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on A rare non-hyperbolic take on the likelihood of a Grexit
Good stuff from European economics think tank Bruegel: “Commentators, especially from North America, take it for granted that Greece will exit the euro area and will be followed by others… But is a Greek exit really inevitable? “…If we look … Continue reading
June 9, 2012
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Good pessimistic (realistic?) piece from Der Spiegel:
“The next stage in the crisis will be blatant blackmail. With their refusal to accept money from the bailout fund to recapitalize their banks, the Spanish are not far from causing the entire system to explode. They clearly figure that the Germans will lose their nerve and agree to rehabilitate their banks for them without demanding any guarantee in return that things will take a lasting turn for the better.
“The next test of the resolution of Europe’s donor nations will come from the Greeks… after the election on June 17, the Greeks will bargain with the other EU countries to see what it’s worth to them to see Greece abandon the euro. The Greeks no longer have much to lose; but their EU neighbors — and particularly the Germans — still do. This discrepancy will determine the price to be paid.
“Germans have always expected that being part of a united Europe meant that national interests would recede into the background until they eventually lost all significance. One recognizes in this hope the legacy of political romanticism.”
May 30, 2012
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Interesting piece by an American investment and free trade advocate giving a handy bit of background to Greece’s money woes – just in case you weren’t pessimisitc enough already. Has some convincing, interesting points – worth reading in full: “Modern … Continue reading
May 28, 2012
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
The New Yorker highlights the primary point that advocates of the “being able to devalue their currency would have saved Greece” / “they should just return to the drachma” / “let’s abolish the eurozone” crowd have yet – that I’ve … Continue reading
July 2, 2011
by Nosemonkey
19 Comments
The way the (pro-EU) Guardian portrays it, he might well be with his speech as Poland took over the rotating EU presidency* yesterday: Assuming the rotating presidency of the EU for the first time, Donald Tusk rounded on the leaders … Continue reading
May 6, 2010
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
It’s a dark time for the EU and eurozone – but does this current cloud have a silver lining? Continue reading
April 7, 2009
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
It seems that another ex-Soviet state on the European fringe is on the brink of revolution following the weekend’s elections in Moldova as students storm the Parliament building and face off against riot police and the military. On Twitter, Moscovici, … Continue reading
February 28, 2009
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
One of my other reasons for pondering a change in direction here (beyond boredom with party politics in the run up to the summer’s EU elections) is that the other big story in the EU – hell, everywhere – is … Continue reading
January 1, 2009
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Nothing changes, it seems. Just like 2008, 2009 promises to bring yet more Russian sabre-rattling and European fears about the continent’s long-term energy security. Also time to welcome in the Czech EU presidency. With the Czech Republic currently being run … Continue reading
September 10, 2008
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
Better luck next time, Ukraine. One of these days the EU powers that be are going to realise that when you’ve got countries torn between a European and non-European identity, to keep on telling them “sorry, you’re not European enough … Continue reading
September 4, 2008
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
With the East/West standoff spreading to Ukraine, there’s an obvious solution to that country’s ills… Continue reading