Seldom does a law concerning fewer than 500 people elicit as much controversy as did Spain’s reform of its 2010 Organic Law on Voluntary Pregnancy Interruption, passed by Congress on April 15. The amendment requires that the legal guardians of all underage women seeking an abortion give consent prior to the procedure. This may seem … Read more
In 1976, Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis confidently declared that “Greece belongs to the West,” echoing the sentiments of the Greek political elite since the end of the Second World War. The nation is the birthplace of democracy, land of the great thinkers that inspired the founders of Western democracies millennia after their deaths. The West … Read more
Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty reads, “an armed attack against one or more [members] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” Under this agreement, each of the attacked state’s allies are obligated to assist with “such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force.” … Read more
Last week, Europe was rocked by another ghastly ISIS terrorist attack. While attacks in Belgium have lead to calls for changes in strategy in the campaign in Iraq and Syria, this would be a strategically risky proposition. Rather than projecting strength, Brussels attacks underline how precarious the group’s position is in the Middle East. The … Read more
Fear of terror is growing in Europe in response to the numerous terrorist attacks that have been carried out on European soil. The situation is dire, but while there are many forms of reaction that appear justifiable in moments of shock and horror, these can be dangerous when out in the light. Following each attack … Read more
The Economist, The Huffington Post, CNN, The Boston Globe, and many other media outlets have reported on the “new normal” after the terrorist attacks in Brussels. The belief is that in some way, the attacks in Madrid (2004), London (2005), Paris (2015), and now Brussels (2016), are all connected in an extensive plot by Islamic … Read more
In 2000, Portugal completely overhauled its policy on narcotics, decriminalizing the use of all illicit drugs. Portugal maintains that narcotics are illegal; however the offense was changed from a criminal one to an administrative one. If someone is caught with less than a ten days’ supply of any drug, they are given a relatively lenient … Read more
Last Thursday’s peace deal, hammered out by French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, was designed to restore a fragile ceasefire to war-torn eastern Ukraine. Yet as soon as it was inked, pundits and commentators began to doubt its longevity, as rebels repudiated portions of … Read more
“We are going directly to hell.” That was the trajectory newly elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras predicted for Greece in 2012 if it were to continue under austerity measures imposed by the eurozone. Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party launched itself into power during last month’s parliamentary elections on a promise to “end the vicious cycle of … Read more
Nigel Farage forecast “an earthquake in British politics” ahead of the 2014 European Union elections, but who could predict that across the Channel, the Spanish Podemos (We Can) party would cause similar tremors? Within three months of its founding, Podemos burst onto the political center stage in the 2014 European elections with 8 percent of … Read more