Scotland and London: a constitutional crisis over Brexit?
The Scottish parliament rejected the Brexit Bill. A majority wants to prevent that London uses Brexit to strengthen its control over Scotland.
Global Spectator
The dangerous politics of humiliation
One of the expressions that has cropped up in various analyses of Donald Trump’s foreign policy is «humiliation», whether in the context of Mexico, Iran, Europe, the UN or even for a period North Korea.
The best of all possible worlds
«The best of all possible worlds» is a simplistic expression stemming from the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s complex 1710 Essays of Theodicy. There is now a concerted effort to promote a new optimism, armed with data and also backed by philosophy.
Macron, Merkel and the new European sovereignties
Despite their internal and external problems, Macron and Merkel reiterated at their meeting in Berlin that they will submit a joint EU reform proposal, covering the Eurozone in particular, to the European Council in June.
Europe strengthens the rule of law
Europe –the EU and the Council of Europe– has enhanced the rule of law for both its citizens and member states. And it continues to do so. In recent weeks we have seen some examples of this enhanced rule-of-law provided by the EU, a system of which the European Arrest Warrant forms a part.
The decline of the West, 1918-2018
One hundred years after the end of th First World War there is again a widespread sense that we are witnessing the decline of the West and the relatively liberal world order that it erected.
Brexit: irreversible – or not?
The prospects of reversing the dynamic surrounding Brexit do not at present look encouraging. But the game is not over yet. The roulette wheel continues spinning. Bets may still be laid.
Psychographic advertising: the global battle to sway minds
The Cambridge Analytica case shows that almost anyone –private companies, governments, non-state organisations– with access to users’ data and a certain degree of technical sophistication can carry out the «psychographic advertising».
Tariffs: Trump’s three ploys
The Trump Administration’s announcement of import duties (tariffs) on steel and aluminium may trigger a spiral that leads to a trade war. In themselves, the measures are not of great importance. But they are important in terms of what they could signify.
Democracies on the back foot
The retreat of democracies could also start to be a concern for global order, which is reverting to rivalry between great powers that are very different from one another.
The revolution of Muslim women
Since the turn of the century a relatively silent revolution of great scope has been taking place: the education and the entry into the labour market of 50 million women in predominantly-Muslim countries.
Europe knows where it doesn’t want to go
Europe is on the move, but it does not know where it is heading. Or rather it knows where it does not want to go: towards federalism (although the Eurozone is advancing discreetly towards it). The expression is taboo. There is also a lack of storytelling, a narrative that explains the EU’s evolution.