Obama Ist Kein Berliner
Fifty years after JFK's visit, and five since his own, Obama returns to Berlin—to a much different mood
Fifty years after JFK's visit, and five since his own, Obama returns to Berlin—to a different mood.
The Unpopular Populist
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is ending his presidency an outcast—but that was his destiny from the start
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is ending his presidency an outcast—but that was his destiny from the start.
Obama's Strange Silence on Syria
Even before chemical weapons were used, there was a refugee crisis. Why won't the president act?
There's a refugee crisis. And now, chemical weapons have been used. When will the president act?
Please, Herr Krugman, May I Have Another?
How America’s favorite liberal stokes German masochism
Krugman loves to insult the Germans, and they love to be insulted by him.
The Incompetent Bigotry of ‘The Innocence of Muslims’
The controversial movie wasn’t just Islamophobic—it was terribly made, too.
‘As Long As I Live’
The frustrating, and damaging, thing about Angela Merkel’s leadership in the European economic crisis is that she has consistently preferred incremental steps, even at the risk of exacerbating instability across the continent. Now, in advance of this week’s highly-anticipated EU summit, it seems she’s finally taken a bold leap. The problem is it’s in the completely wrong direction. First, a quick summary of where things stood until now.
Pro-Merkel Argument Fail
In today's Financial Times, Quentin Peel surveys the many difficulties facing Angela Merkel as she tries to steer Europe out of the latest chapter of its extended crisis, before praising her political savvy: Yet the underlying political reality, both in Germany and the rest of Europe, is that the chancellor is more in tune with public opinion than are many of her critics. The latest opinion poll published by the Pew Global Attitudes survey last month showed that she is the most respected European leader in every country except Greece. The same is true at home.
With the credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s estimating that there’s a one-in-three chance that Greece will abandon the euro sometime after its June 17 election, some people are already looking for a silver lining: British tour operator Thomas Cook expects a surge in bookings to Greece if it leaves the euro zone as holidays to the Mediterranean nation would become better value for hard-pressed travellers. "If Greece exits (the euro), for the tourism industry it could be very profitable," interim chief executive Sam Weihagen said after the company posted a steep first-half loss on Thu
Michelle Obama For Mayor
Worthy as Michelle Obama's campaign against obesity is, I've always found it somewhat dispiriting that the First Lady is reduced to making mostly symbolic efforts on behalf of the cause. Compare her situation with that of, say, Michael Bloomberg. The Mayor of New York shares Michelle Obama's public health concerns, but he's not one for making exhortative book tours or planting exemplary vegetable gardens. No, he's simply drawn a big red line through things that are bad for us: no more public smoking, no more trans-fats, and, now, no more sugary drinks over 16 ounces.
The New York Times, May 27: In a new effort to halt more than a year of bloodshed in Syria, President Obama will push for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad under a proposal modeled on the transition in another strife-torn Arab country, Yemen. The Washington Post, May 29: Across the vast, rugged terrain of southern Yemen, an escalating campaign of U.S. drone strikes is stirring increasing sympathy for al-Qaeda-linked militants and driving tribesmen to join a network linked to terrorist plots against the United States. Associated Press, May 29: [U.N.
