BERLIN — “The King is dead. Long live the King!” is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new monarch. The same pragmatic approach was adopted by the EU Commission President when the new Ukrainian President visited Brussels Monday on his first official trip abroad: José Manuel Barroso, … Continue Reading…
For a full write-up of the event, please click here.
WASHINGTON — Having worked in France for what we call a “metropolitan community of cities” in Nantes and for a regional council in Brittany, one of my objectives for my Comparative Domestic Policy fellowship at GMF was to have a close look on how metropolitan and regional organizations in the … Continue Reading…
COPENHAGEN — It will be discussed for some time whether the “Copenhagen Accord” represents an unsatisfactory compromise or an unmitigated failure. Whatever the ultimate answer, there are some preliminary lessons that can be drawn from a memorably chaotic global gathering.
COPENHAGEN – The daily presentation of the ‘Fossil of the Day’ awards has become as integral a part of the UN climate talks as the all-night negotiating sessions, colorful protests, and eleventh hour deliberation among parties to try and reach an agreement. This ten year old tradition organized by the Climate … Continue Reading…
WASHINGTON, DC — On the eve of this week’s Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and NATO Ministerial meetings, in addition to a NATO-Russia Council gathering, Russian officials unveiled their long-awaited proposal for a new European Security Treaty. The Medvedev proposal, as it has become known, has been … Continue Reading…
BERLIN — This year has been full of celebrations of the peaceful revolutions of 1989, arguably the most important advance of freedom, democracy, and human rights in history. But this year has also seen rapid European rapprochement with (and some might say appeasement of) one of the world’s worst autocrats: … Continue Reading…
BRUSSELS — To many people outside of Brussels, the process that resulted in the selection of Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council and Catherine Ashton to the dual-hatted position as High Representative for External Affairs and Vice President of the European Commission was a … Continue Reading…
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — For those of you who haven’t seen our tweets, facebook, e-mails, or any of the other ways we’ve been broadcasting this weekend, check out the Halifax Forum website for all sorts of good material: videos (including livestreams), … Continue Reading…
BRUSSELS — For a supposedly stillborn concept, talk of a G2 — actual or potential — has proved remarkably durable. Why, despite the implausibility of the notion, does it continue? Anyone looking for signs of an emerging Sino-American global condominium in Tuesday’s comprehensive joint declaration would indeed have had slim … Continue Reading…