Just as Putin has demonstrated his seriousness to the West, Europe and the United States must stand resolutely, in total lock-step, against this brazenly aggressive move by Russia. On its own, the US can and should pass targeted sanctions against Russia, and the White House should also coach its leader to not wear jeans during a critical phone call in full view of the world stage.
Read MoreAppointed in 2009 by the European Union’s then-26 heads of state (there will soon be 28), Van Rompuy is bound to their decisions – a degree of separation between his office and European public opinion that he insisted is good and necessary. But he also spoke of wrestling the Council, which must act unanimously, into consensus. “I’ve stayed in good shape for a man of 66,” he joked.
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Those sweeping speeches, those resolute condemnations of secrecy and surveillance; it was all just pandering to popular anti-Bush opinion.
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Either the eurozone moves to a federation or it eventually breaks up, bringing the world economy to its knees in the process. The choice is clear and the consequences of that choice could define our generation.
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Only when the European Union adopts a truly collective and consensual foreign policy will it matter internationally.
Read MoreEmiliou mentioned the recent issue of upgrading Palestine’s status in the UN, which prompted a three way split within the EU member nations. He stated that this is “illustrative of the fact that we have a long way to go in order to establish a common foreign policy.”
Read MoreThe fact is, however, that the European Union is one of the most exciting and ambitious challenges ever set in motion by politicians. Nobel Peace Prize or not, it deserves to prevail.
Read MoreImagine a world in which up to one half of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was not taxed. Imagine capitalist investors and heads of companies escaping the long-handed reach of state coffers, thereby avoiding their due contribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to the very citizenry that helped create their wealth to begin with.
Read MoreEarlier this year at the summit of the African Union in Ethiopia, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon made a practically unprecedented speech in favor of LGBT rights, a speech that fomented much unrest among delegates in the room.
Read MoreAt the forefront of the docket of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Union’s highest judicial body, is a case brought by two British women against the British government. The government’s stance, should it become precedent in the Union, would further limit the already heavily regulated area of religious expression.
Read MoreViolence in Syria has pursued over the past months since the beginning of the Arab Spring uprising in the nation, and certainly seems unlikely to calm down in the upcoming months if recent unrest is any reliable indicator. President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly refused to step down from power and has even condoned the use of force against his own citizens by military forces.
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