Europe & Eurasia

Germany must decide the power it wields

By Ulrich Speck, Financial Times

From Ulrich Speck, Financial Times:  For Germany, the status quo is not an option any more.

Top U.S. stealth jet has to talk to allied planes over unsecured radio

By David Axe, Danger Room

From David Axe, Danger Room:  For the first time, America’s top-of-the-line F-22 fighters and Britain’s own cutting-edge Typhoon jets have come together for intensive, long-term training in high-tech warfare. If only the planes could talk to each other on equal terms.

Obama’s Chance for a Legacy

By Frederick Kempe

President Barack Obama devoted just one sentence in last week’s State of the Union address to call for a new transatlantic trade and investment deal. However, if negotiated with sufficient ambition and presidential engagement, it is Obama’s best chance yet at leaving a positive foreign policy legacy.

Bulgarian government resigns amid protests

By Joe Parkinson, Wall Street Journal

From Joe Parkinson, Wall Street Journal:  The European economic crisis felled its latest political victim on Wednesday as Bulgaria’s government resigned from office after days of nationwide protests against austerity, high electricity prices and official corruption.

Disarmed Europe will face the world alone

By Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

U.S.-EU trade deal will be good for Canada – when it happens

By Jason Langrish, Globe and Mail

From Jason Langrish, Globe and Mail:  The United States has finally agreed to a grand bargain that the European Union has been pursuing for years

US-EU free trade agreement ‘will be a game-changer’

By João Vale de Almeida, Christian Science Monitor

From João Vale de Almeida, Christian Science Monitor:  The most immediate way to boost our transatlantic relationship is to follow through on an EU-US free trade agreement.

The World from Berlin: ‘It’s Worth Promoting Economic NATO’

By Daryl Lindsey, Spiegel

From Daryl Lindsey, Spiegel:  The European Union and United States say they will soon begin negotiations to create the world’s largest free-trade zone. German editorialists argue a deal is necessary if the West wants to help shape global politics and address the challenge of a rising China.