The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Union | Pew Global Attitudes Project

European hegemony may no longer be sustainable.  The European economic community is being held together by a fragile piece of paper called the Euro.  Aside from the currency, which a Pew Foundation survey reports is still favored by most European countries, there is little else Europeans agree about or even like about each other.  Perhaps the onslaught of diversity perceived by growing right wing groups is the only glue left to hold Europeans together.  The current economic crisis has seen much conflict and scapegoating regarding immigrants from mostly the African continent; but now Europeans seem to be turning against one another.

“The European Union is the new sick man of Europe. The effort over the past half century to create a more united Europe is now the principal casualty of the euro crisis. The European project now stands in disrepute across much of Europe.

Support for European economic integration – the 1957 raison d’etre for creating the European Economic Community, the European Union’s predecessor – is down over last year in five of the eight European Union countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2013. Positive views of the European Union are at or near their low point in most EU nations, even among the young, the hope for the EU’s future. The favorability of the EU has fallen from a median of 60% in 2012 to 45% in 2013. And only in Germany does at least half the public back giving more power to Brussels to deal with the current economic crisis.

The sick man label – attributed originally to Russian Czar Nicholas I in his description of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century – has more recently been applied at different times over the past decade and a half to Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece and France. But this fascination with the crisis country of the moment has masked a broader phenomenon: the erosion of Europeans’ faith in the animating principles that have driven so much of what they have accomplished internally.”

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John Brennan: The debate over drones | The Economist

To kill or not to kill?  Seems to be the question for a post cold war America that struggles to find a useful venue and vehicle for its newly found monolithic world power status and the ways in which that lonely status make it an irresistible target for any group looking to be taken seriously and seeking a megaphone for its cause.

No one is raising the important issue of how simple and relatively inexpensive it might be to deploy this drone technology against the US and its allies.  It seems logical that drone technology would be simpler and cheaper to create and deploy than a nuclear weapon, or a so called “dirty bomb.”  So, what is really at stake here might be who is angry at the US and why?  How can the US justify unilaterally searching out its defined enemies and taking them out gangster style no matter national sovereignty or international law.

The London Economist tackles this issue in a straightforward way yet with a focus and a lens that seems a bit ideologically myopic and perhaps a bit nostalgic for the cowboy days of George W.  

You be the judge:

“T WAS so much simpler when George W. Bush was president. Outlining America’s plans for Osama bin Laden a few days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, Mr Bush declared: “there’s an old poster out West, I recall, that says, ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive.” For all those at home and abroad made uncomfortable by sweeping assertions of American power it was a moment of predictable provocation. Without surprise, they heard a swaggering Republican president vowing to make his country’s attackers pay, and seeming to pay no more heed to legal niceties than a cowboy bent on a lynching.

Yet 12 and a half years later, the cautious, lawyerly Barack Obama—a Democratic president with nothing of the…”

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George Packer: Hillary Clinton’s Diplomatic Legacy : The New Yorker

Amazing to see how young, vibrant and bubbly Hillary Clinton became a “Senior Statesman.”  Anything is possible in today’s world and now we await Hillary’s next big step….

“After four exhausting years, Hillary Clinton leaves the State Department with an impressive record of air miles logged, town-hall meetings held, important but neglected issues highlighted, international crises defused, gaffes avoided, citizens of the United States and the world wowed, and White House policies …”

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Filed under: Blogosphere, Gender, geopolitical, International Relations, News, Clintons, diplomacy, Hillary Clinton

Egypt: To the barricades, again | The Economist

The so called “Arab Spring” seems to be turning into the “Democratic Quagmire” as the popular elections lead to discontent, factions and public frustration as the aftermath of destabilizing revolutions give way to hart times in the Middle East.  The London Economist Magazine, ever the vigilant and sobering watchdog, gives us a glimpse on what is happening on the ground and the political currents that move the streets.

“WITH angry crowds across the nation baying against him, Egypt’s president wagged his finger at the people in a late-night televised speech. He declared a curfew for some cities, he called for support for the police, he deployed the army to the streets. Seemingly as an afterthought, he added a conciliatory call for …”

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Filed under: Africa, Arab Spring, Blogosphere, Civic Engagement, Culture Think, geopolitical, International Relations, Middle East Freedom, News, Egyptian democracy, Egyptian Elections, Egyptian violence, Muhammad Morsi

The Economist explains: The fiscal cliff: On the edge | The Economist

Don’t miss this video explaining “the fiscal cliff” from the perspective of the world renown London Economist….

“AS AMERICA moves closer to an economic abyss, The Economist explains the fiscal cliff …”

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Mexico and the United States: The rise of Mexico | The Economist

The London Economist, like no one else can, gives us Americans a view of our neighborhood and the sleeping giant South of the Border…

“NEXT week the leaders of North America’s two most populous countries are due to meet for a neighbourly chat in Washington, DC. The re-elected Barack Obama and Mexico’s president-elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, have plenty to talk about: Mexico is changing in ways that will profoundly affect its big northern neighbour, and unless America rethinks its outdated picture of life across the border, both countries risk forgoing …”

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Taking Shelter in Tel Aviv : The New Yorker

One step forward, two steps back, it seems in the Middle East dilemma …  A humane look at the psychological trauma perpetuated by Israel’s families as they get caught between Israel’s military policy and palestinian desperation.

“When the sirens went off on Thursday evening in Tel Aviv advising residents to seek shelter, it took my friends and family a few minutes to understand what was …”

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Filed under: Arab Spring, Behavioral Health Outcomes, Blogosphere, Culture Think, geopolitical, International Relations, News, Political Violence, waging war, WeSeeReason, Israel News, Middle East Peace

Israel and Gaza: Edging closer to war | The Economist

The Obama victory and the Arab spring have ushered in a new era for the Middle East as the extremes write the next chapter …  What’s next?

“IF THE latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamists who run Gaza, were to end this weekend, everyone involved—except for the families of the …”

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The foreign-policy debate: Neoconservatism goes underground | The Economist

The London Economist, ever the sober and clear voice of the pragmatic business minded political middle, reports and deciphers the Romnian ideological Etch A Sketch which now sings a song of sober statesmanship and moderation in hopes of capturing the American Middle Class and undecided vote …

 

“WARMING up for last night’s foreign-policy debate, I was curious about what the neoconservative crowd was thinking these days, so …”

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On Eve of Foreign Debate, Growing Pessimism about Arab Spring Aftermath | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

As next week’s third and final presidential debate on foreign policy approaches, a national survey by the Pew Research Center finds increasing public pessimism about developments in the Middle East and more support for tough policies to deal with Iran’s nuclear program and economic issues with China. However, there is no change in the consensus in support for ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.

Doubts have spread about the political direction of countries swept up in the Arab Spring protests that began almost two years ago. Nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%) do not believe the changes in the Middle East will lead to lasting improvements for people living in the affected countries, up sharply from 43% in April 2011.

And a majority of Americans (54%) continue to say it is more important to have stable governments in the Middle East, even if there is less democracy in the region. Just 30% say democratic governments are more important, even if there is less stability.

via On Eve of Foreign Debate, Growing Pessimism about Arab Spring Aftermath | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

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Beirut car bomb kills top security official | Reuters

A huge car bomb explosion in Beirut on Friday killed a top Lebanese security official whose investigations implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former Lebanese prime …

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Growing Concerns in China about Inequality, Corruption | Pew Global Attitudes Project

As China prepares for its once-in-a-decade change of leadership, the Chinese people believe their country faces serious and growing challenges. In particular, the side effects of rapid economic growth, including the gap between rich and poor, rising prices, pollution, and the loss of traditional culture are major concerns, and there are also increasing worries about political corruption. While the Chinese have consistently rated their national and personal economic situations positively over the last few years, they are now grappling with the concerns of a modern, increasingly wealthy society.

The Chinese public also increasingly expresses reservations about relations with the United States. Over the last two years, ratings for the U.S. and President Obama have declined significantly, and the percentage of Chinese who characterize their country’s relationship with the U.S. as one of cooperation has plummeted from 68% to 39%. Still, many Chinese embrace aspects of America’s soft power, including U.S. science and technology and American ideas about democracy.

via Growing Concerns in China about Inequality, Corruption | Pew Global Attitudes Project.

Filed under: Asian, Blogosphere, Culture Think, geopolitical, News, inequality in China