Western Europe

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German Papers Rebel Against Afghanistan Pressure

New Atlanticist
Oct 2, 2024

A man in a hurry: Keir Starmer’s early approach is making waves at home and abroad

By
Ed Owen

The new UK prime minister’s much-anticipated speech at the Labour Party’s recent gathering in Liverpool is a window into where the country may be headed.

Economy & Business
Elections

New Atlanticist
Oct 2, 2024

Three state elections have backed Germany into a corner

By
Jurek Wille and Friedrich Conradi

The recent successes of populist parties in Germany’s state elections could signal an imminent shift in Berlin’s policies on climate, immigration, and aid for Ukraine.

Elections
Germany

New Atlanticist
Sep 26, 2024

France’s new government aims to calm the political storm. What will it mean for foreign policy?

By
Léonie Allard, Jean-Loup Samaan

Prime Minister Michel Barnier is likely to follow the path of President Emmanuel Macron, but the big question is whether the delicate political context in Paris will allow ministers to focus on crises in Ukraine and Lebanon.

Europe & Eurasia
France

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New Atlanticist

Feb 20, 2009

German Papers Rebel Against Afghanistan Pressure

By James Joyner

Charles Hawley, in a Der Spiegel editorial titled “Afghanistan Hasn’t Yet Become NATO’s Vietnam,” argues that “it is time for an honest reassessment of the mission.”

Afghanistan Germany

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2009

France and Germany Suddenly Interested in Iraq

By James Joyner

Western European involvement in Iraq’s economy may be about to undergo radical transformation, Sebastian Abbot reports for AP. Germany’s foreign minister met with top Iraqi leaders in Baghdad on Tuesday in the latest high-level visit by a major Western nation that opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion but has promised to help Iraq rebuild now that […]

Germany Iraq

New Atlanticist

Feb 12, 2009

British Conservative Party Edits Wikipedia to Back Brown Claim

By James Joyner

It seems a staffer for Gordon Brown engaged in a bit of truthiness. When checking facts with Wikipedia it helps to know who edited the entry last. In their weekly debate Wednesday in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and would-be prime minister David Cameron clashed over — of all things — […]

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Feb 10, 2009

Munich: First Look at Obama Foreign Policy, Big Boost for Georgia

By David Smith

Last weekend’s 45th Munich Security Conference afforded the world its first look at the emerging foreign policy of U.S. President Barack Obama. The conference’s mostly European audience heard the constructive new tone for which it had hoped. However, the substantive policy studiously delivered by all Administration representatives in Munich was one of cautious continuity.

Germany United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Feb 10, 2009

Angela Merkel Barbie Doll

By James Joyner

Another one for the Headlines I Thought I’d Never See file: “Dream Chancellor Barbie: Mattel debuts Merkel doll.” Barbie can add another dream job to her list — Germany’s first female head-of-state. Toy company Mattel debuted the Chancellor Angela Merkel Barbie last week at an international toy fair in the southern city of Nuremberg.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Feb 5, 2009

France Wants Key NATO Posts for Increased Presence

By James Joyner

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is offering a very meager increase in French participation in NATO in exchange for command of two prestigious posts.

France NATO

New Atlanticist

Jan 29, 2009

French Strike For Economic Stimulus

By James Joyner

As governments on both sides of the Atlantic scramble to cope with a global financial crisis most observers are calling the greatest since the Great Depression, the French citizenry seems to be losing patience. Hundreds of thousands of angry and fearful French workers mounted nationwide strikes and protests Thursday to demand President Nicolas Sarkozy do […]

France

New Atlanticist

Jan 23, 2009

Obama Revolutionizing German Politics?

By James Joyner

Marcel Reichart argues that Germany’s political parties must learn the lessons from Barack Obama’s campaign, so that they, too, can use the Internet to get ordinary people involved. It looks like they’re well on their way to doing just that.

Germany

New Atlanticist

Jan 22, 2009

The View from Europe: Afghanistan Troop Increases Unlikely

By Peter Cassata

“We can do better,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said of the alliance’s Afghanistan mission in Sunday’s WaPo. Indeed, President Obama has made Afghanistan a top priority, and in addition to deploying more U.S. troops there, he is also expected to ask for greater European troop contributions. Yet, recent opinion polls and statements […]

Afghanistan European Union

New Atlanticist

Jan 21, 2009

Atlantic Update: EU Economies Struggling

By Peter Cassata

With news understandably focused on the inauguration this weekend, I’ve compiled a roundup of recent transatlantic economic developments that may have been overlooked.

European Union International Organizations