European Power

The NSA and the weakness of American power

The public outrage that the NSA has spawned could be more damaging to the transatlantic relationship than the Iraq war was a decade ago. The real toxicity of the NSA revelations is that they replace a sense of shared values with deep public mistrust on both sides of the Atlantic.

Assessing the talks with Iran: a step towards pragmatism

There has been consensus amongst the negotiators that the discussions had been positively led by Iran in a very different manner than previous talks. The key message from these rounds of talks is that the Iranian team provided details for their proposal rather than a vague or impractical framework.

Does more Merkel mean less Europe?

If Angela Merkel’s astounding electoral success is owed to her synchrony with the average German, then there is every reason to suspect that the new government will not deviate much from the preferences of the median German voter

Merkel’s anti-mandate

This election shows how much Merkel’s pragmatism has sucked the life out of national politics. The result of her victory could be to suck it out of European politics next. Her politics of “small steps” will rule out decisive moves on banking union or debt.

Ten things to know about the German elections

On Sunday Germans will vote in a general election – but what does it mean for the rest of Europe? Can we expect more decisive leadership and a greater vision for Europe from Germany after the elections? Here is a short guide why this election matters to Europe

Angela Merkel and Germany’s political zeitgeist

Angela Merkel defines the political zeitgeist in Germany. But contrary to appearances, Germany is facing a period of difficult choices – independently of who takes office after the elections.

The EU’s silent revolution

The eurozone crisis has redrawn the institutional structure of the EU and intergovernmentalism has become a default mechanism to solve problems in an emergency – but that risks backfiring by exacerbating the democratic deficit and crumbling EU unity

The German miracle is running out of road

Ahead of federal elections, Germany is showing signs of complacency about its economic success, with none of the big candidates addressing the factors that might lead to German manufacturing losing its edge

Syria and the politicisation of British foreign policy

With the parliamentary rejection of a major foreign policy initiative, Britain has crossed a watershed in foreign policy making, but the question is not about whether the UK engages with the world. It is about how its foreign policy is made.