Everyone’s talking about the BRICs. But we shouldn’t forget about the territories trying to become states. Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan and East Timor: they’re all looking for our attention, and in some cases make better ‘states’ that the recognised ones
Spain's footballing triumph at the World Cup came as a welcome distraction for the Spanish people. Their economy is a shambles; their politicians are struggling to do their jobs; and the Spanish presidency of the EU badly damaged their international reputation. But at least Spain's football team offer lessons as well as hope
The Political West (the US, Europe and Japan) are in the doldrums while the BRICs keep growing. A third of world economic growth in the last decade has taken place in BRIC countries. So far, so good for the BRICs. But what next?
The second of two high-profile seminars hosted by ECFR to mark the opening of our new London offices in Westminster. A panel of George Soros, Emma Bonino, Joschka Fischer, Lord Kerr, Anatole Kaletsky and Mark Leonard examine how Europe is coping with the financial crisis and what it means for the future
Fifty years after gaining independence, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains deeply unstable. The help of China and the EU is needed to limit the dangers. But one is more likely than the other to lend a hand
Spain’s EU presidency fell far short of expectations, but it was handed a presidency without precedent. One thing is certain: a foreign relations system based on holding summits without content has no future at all
The European Council on Foreign Relations hosted two high-profile seminars to mark the opening of their new London offices in Westminster. The first of these looked at ‘British foreign policy in Europe and the world’, and included a panel discussion with Malcolm Rifkind, Timothy Garton Ash, Charles Grant, and Paddy Ashdown, moderated by ECFR’s Daniel Korski
The euro crisis seems to have revealed a more inward-looking and nationalistic Germany. But Germany?s shift towards the domestic is more subtle than it appears. And it is certainly not just a recent development
George Soros gave a public speech on the euro crisis in Berlin on 23 June. In his speech, Mr Soros argued that the euro crisis could lead to the destruction of the European Union, setting in motion a “downward spiral” as member states struggle to reduce public deficits. He said delicate manoeuving is required, with German leadership. You can download the full transcript of the speech here in English, German and French
The common position on Cuba is so anomalous and exceptional that, rather than providing an example of European sponsorship of human rights, what it exemplifies are glaring contradictions in European policy