Dutch Election Too Close To Call

For the first time in almost a hundred years, the Dutch right-wing liberal party may emerge as the country’s largest parliamentary faction from Wednesday’s election. But as results poured in on election night, the liberals were unexpectedly engaged in a fierce struggle for power with Labor. The outcome was anticipated by preelection polls which had […]

Merkel, Sarkozy Push for Strict Finance Rules

France and Germany have insisted that the European Union speed up its scheduled financial reforms, noting that “strong volatility” in the markets necessitates a quick ban on speculative trading against “certain” stock and government bonds. In a joint appeal, French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel called on European Commission President José Barroso […]

Europe Braces for Spending Cuts

While the Greek debt crisis and subsequent decline of the euro continue to worry investors around the world, the people of Europe are preparing for severe austerity measures, and not just in the troubled south. With hundreds of billions of euros pledged to stabilize the common currency, European leaders are forced to make major cutbacks […]

Russian Foreign Arms Purchases Are Good for Regional Stability

A great deal of ink has been spilled recently about how terrible it is that a number of European NATO members are considering selling arms and military equipment to Russia. Many commentators vehemently argue against such arms sales. The reasons for the opposition are rarely stated openly, but when they are they tend to focus […]

The Great Experiment

With David Cameron installed as prime minister on Tuesday evening, for the first time in almost seventy years the United Kingdom has a coalition government again. Will it hold? Elections in early May produced a hung parliament with the Conservatives just twenty seats short of a majority. Negotiations between Labour and the minority Liberal Democrats […]

Saving the Euro

Bending the rules of euro management, European leaders and finance ministers agreed to an unprecedented effort to guarantee the stability of the eurozone with loans adding up to nearly $1 trillion (or €750 billion) this weekend. In spite of the multibillion euro rescue package previously pledged to Greece, investors continued to worry about the unsound […]