Section: European Voice (EU)
NATO chief celebrates ‘close to zero’ defense cuts
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised the change in trend on military spending in Europe on Thursday, saying cutbacks had practically stopped — while urging more action to counter threats from Russia and in the Mediterranean. “After many years of substantial cuts in defense spending, the cuts have now practically stopped among European...
Moderate Iran is a fantasy
The nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.) was a significant development. But there are a number of reasons why it should be considered with more caution than excitement. Is it really a landmark achievement for world peace and security? Many friends of the...
What the next president must do about Putin
Madam/Mr. President-to-be-elected, you will enter office facing Vladimir Putin’s Russia as a potential geostrategic threat to the United States. You will need a strategy to counter and resist this threat, which is only growing. At the moment, Putin appears to be closer to prevailing in Syria and holding steady in Ukraine, Georgia and...
The Hidden Consequences of the Oil Crash
For months, American drivers have been greeted at gas stations with a pleasant surprise: Gas prices have fallen by half, dropping an average of more than $2 a gallon since their most recent peak in 2011. President Barack Obama took a moment to bask in the credit last week in his State of the Union speech: “Gas under two bucks a gallon ain’t...
Poland quibbles over who’s a refugee and who’s a migrant
WARSAW — Beata Szydło sought to deflect pressure for Poland to take asylum seekers by telling the European Parliament that the country is already doing its share. “You speak of migration — that’s a serious problem. Poland has taken in around a million refugees from Ukraine. People whom no one wanted to help,” Poland’s prime minister...
Only America can fix EU security mess
The narrow and strategically vital Strait of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea is sometimes called “The Pillars of Hercules.” The ancient Greeks believed it to be a by-product of one of Hercules’ mythical labors, which required him to leave the civilized world behind and venture into the chaos and danger of the distant...
Lord Weidenfeld’s European century
The last time I saw George Weidenfeld was two years ago at his club in central London. Anyone who knew “Lord” Weidenfeld was aware that any conversation with him would invariably flow rapidly through politics, art, music, theater, literature, history, travel, you name it. It could be dizzying. It was always charming and illuminating. In that...
UK intelligence agency most gay-friendly employer, survey shows
MI5, the U.K.’s security service, has been named Britain’s most gay-friendly employer by Stonewall, an organization that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. The group’s workplace equality index published Tuesday puts MI5 at number-one on a list of the top 100 employers in terms of workplace equality for LGBTI...
Serb election likely to result in government romp
Calling snap elections is a proven political gambit for Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, who said over the weekend that he wants a poll two years before his government’s term expires. “Serbia needs four more years of stability so that it is ready to join the European Union,” was Vučić’s rationale. The real reason may be...
Czech President says Muslim integration ‘practically impossible’
The existence of “ghettos” in some West European countries proves that “the integration of the Muslim community is practically impossible,” Czech President Miloš Zeman said Sunday. In an interview with the tabloid Blesk, Zeman cited two passages from the Quran that he said reflected men’s right to mistreat women and he highlighted the...
