What Conservative Spain Has in Common with Putin
Both are insecure.
Both are insecure.
A spying scandal shatters what little hope Catalan nationalists had of negotiating with Madrid.
The war in Ukraine has discredited Italian anti-Americanism.
The offer is seen as political calculation by his opponents.
The shift in public opinion suggests a way out of the decade-long dispute with Spain.
Pablo Casado’s lurch to the right scared away moderates and failed to impress hardliners.
Spanish judges waste no opportunity to frustrate Catalan ambitions.
António Costa no longer needs smaller parties for a majority.
No one else has his authority and stature.
Trade unions and the socialist government meet employers halfway.
Taxes are cut, but there’s not much the national government can do about overbearing bureaucracy.
Reasonable independence parties need the support of separatist hardliners.
Liberalizations cut unemployment and encouraged business creation.
Early elections are likely.
The far-right leader couldn’t decide between populism and statesmanship.