Europe & Eurasia

President of Romania impeached amid EU, US concern

By Alison Mutler, the AP

Turkey to hold off on missile-defense choice

By Ümit Enginsoy, Hurriyet Daily News

Why the euro is breaking the European dream

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist:  A new report by a group of prominent economists—sponsored by Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission, and Helmut Schmidt, the former German chancellor—describes in telling detail how the euro is destroying itself.

Supporting Human Rights in Russia Should Be a Core Strategic Interest for US

By Anna Borshchevskaya

On Tuesday, July 10, the Russian Duma will vote on ratification of the agreement for Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Policymakers in both countries view Russia’s entry as a foregone conclusion. The question before Congress therefore is how best to pressure Russia to respect human rights following its repeal of the Jackson-Vanik […]

Angela Merkel, Europe’s Weary Mountaineer

By Frederick Kempe

To help illustrate Germany’s historic dilemma as it calculates the risks of rescuing Europe, Ronald Freeman, a London banker friend, conjured up an image of Chancellor Angela Merkel as a weary mountaineer leading a perilous rock climb. Still some distance from safety, Merkel alternates between shouting instructions to those hanging behind her on a taut […]

Britain announces cuts of 17 major Army units

By Andrew Chuter, Defense News

From Andrew Chuter, Defense News:  Seventeen major units are to be culled by the British Army as part of a transformation plan that will see regular force personnel numbers reduced to 82,000 from the current level of 102,000, the defense secretary announced July 5.

Bomber Boys

By Julian Lindley-French

It is sixty-seven years too late. The Bomber Boys gaze over me looking exhaustedly and exhaustively for comrades who will never return. Seven RAF Bomber Command aircrew cast in bronze probably just off a Lancaster that has somehow miraculously survived a World War Two ‘trip’ over Nazi Germany.

Stop Playing Games over Europe Mr. Cameron

By Julian Lindley-French

In an article yesterday in London’s Sunday Telegraph, British Prime Minister David Cameron hinted at a possible in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. “Let us start to spell out in more detail the parts of our European engagement we want and those we want to end”, Cameron urged.

Vershbow: ‘NATO has stood by Georgia, and we will continue to do so’

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

From Alexander Vershbow, NATO:  NATO is based on shared values and principles – freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. 

Soviet collapse holds a lesson for the euro

By Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times

From Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times:  The conviction that, whatever else happened, the state and socialist system were immutable, proved the downfall of Soviet policy makers.