One Belt, One Road, Lots of Questions
Some call it the Chinese Marshall Plan. Others call it a dastardly plot for world domination and confirmation of their darkest fears. The Chinese –…
EU
Cunning Plan Needed
The British cabinet is preparing to retire to Chequers for a country weekend of Pims, strawberries and footie and tennis on the telly. There may…
In Germany, Politics Recollects History
Throughout her 13 years in Germany’s highest office, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been the linchpin of German politics. Given Germany’s pre-eminence in the European Union,…
Observations of an Expat: The Divorce Settlement
It was the marriage of the century. John Bull and Europa were tying the knot. After hundreds of years of on/off romances and on/off tiffs,…
The Balkans – A Little Local Difficulty?
It was a “little difficulty in the Balkans” in the summer of 1914 that resulted in the deaths of 16 million European soldiers by November…
In the Balkans, the Power of a Name
Greece and Macedonia appear to be inching toward a settlement on a decades-long dispute over who owns the name “Macedonia.” But with nationalism in both…
The Year That Was – 2017
Where to start on a subject encompassing so much it’s impossible to fit it all in? – A month – a country? OK- January –…
Britain and Europe’s Messy Divorce
A divorce can be nasty business. In most cases, one party wants to leave and the other party wants them to stay. In some cases,…
Brexit and the Irish backlash
Talks about a future commercial relationship between the EU and Britain have (at least temporarily) imploded, with both shuffling awkwardly to make the announcements. Even…
Things We Lost In The Mire…. 48
EGYPT/RUSSIA – The 2 countries have agreed a draft 5-year agreement permitting each other’s military planes to use one another’s air bases. Egypt’s government has…