Presaging the apparently-imminent departure of Michele Alliot-Marie from the Quai d’Orsay, a recent op-ed in LeMonde written anonymously by current and former French diplomats is sounding the death knell of France’s diplomatic influence. “Africa is drifting away, the Mediterranean region wants nothing to do with us, we’ve been tamed by China and Washington ignores us!” […]
Speculation in Baku was rife last week over the temporary closing on Monday of the Israeli embassy. Many news sources such as the opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat theorized that the reason for the closing of the embassy was security-related. In any case, the embassy was apparently closed for “technical reasons” and re-opened. The Israeli Foreign […]
EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has her detractors. For clarities sake, let it be said that this blogger is not one of them. For sure, the EU’s foreign policy, which Ashton is head of, is far from optimal. It lacks both coherence and clout, in particular when it comes to the “hard” security and […]
Disturbing news out of Azerbaijan today, where a prominent defense attorney has been effectively disbarred and a young political activist was arrested on drug charges. Osman Kazimov, a well-known defense lawyer who has defended, among others, Said Nuri, was reportedly kicked out of Azerbaijan’s Collegium, a body that functions like an über bar association. By that […]
Apparently should have included this image in my previous post. The New York Times and LeMonde both came out yesterday with stories depicting “divisions” among European leaders on Egypt following Friday’s Brussels summit. But a close reading of the reports shows it is apparently just one leader who can’t quite fall in line and call […]
As EU leaders meet today, February 4, in Brussels, protests in Egypt will be culminating in what Egyptians are calling “The Day of Departure.” If events in Tunisia are any indication, Europe has thus far viewed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean as a choice between democracy and stability. As fellow FPA blogger Benjamin Preisler pointed out, […]
In a telling leading editorial, the Zeit, Germany’s biggest and most important weekly newspaper, praises Merkel for making Europe more German. After the others had only wanted our money up to now, now the idea were to create a European economic government, give up decision-making powers to Europe and in return force everyone else to […]
Events in Tunisia and Egypt are being closely monitored and discussed by pro- and anti-government forces in Baku these days, with postings on web forums, Twitter, facebook, and blogs – not to mention established web sites and newspapers. Even in Egypt, the well-known “sandmonkey” blogger has tweeted about Azerbaijan, expressing thanks for support the protesters […]
Tunisia was easy. Small country, educated middle-class and a weak Islamist element. For many European heads of state, the toppling of Ben-Ali was irksome (his ties to the continent ran deep — trained at Saint-Cyr, ambassador to Poland), but manageable. Other than the French foreign minister’s disturbing offer to provide the government security support, the […]
I was in the middle of the writing of my latest blog on the 2011 State of the Union, when I had the pleasure to read Finn’s analysis. Finn’s argument of Europe feeling leftover is absolutely valid and has been very popular in Europe, especially since the 2009 EU-US Summit wherein President Obama did not […]
State of the Union speeches are first and foremost aimed at a domestic audience. This year’s SOTU was certainly no exception. With the US economy being Obama’s number one concern, this year’s SOTU was perhaps particularly domestically orientated. Nevertheless, there are some points that have a particular interest for a European. Of direct consequence, of […]
The latest democratic movement taking place in Tunisia has already cost the presidency to long timer Mr. Ben Ali, but now is exemplifying the limit of EU power and influence in times of crisis. Following Mr. Ben Ali’s departure caused by massive strikes and civil unrests against his power and regime, the EU and other […]
Indirectly we’ve talked about immigration repeatedly on this blog. I commented on the right-wing, anti-Islam reaction in a number of European states, it again played a role in my post on Tunisia and the tepid lack of European support for its democratization. Finally, as my co-blogger pointed out the other day: the overall immigration population […]
A few days ago, an ad hominem attack on the US appeared in the pages (or on the web site) of “Azerbaijan,” the official journal of Azerbaijan’s parliament, the Milli Majlis. The article delved into real and imagined hypocritical facets of US foreign policy since the end of the Second World War, and despite its […]
As my fruit salesman on the market at Barbès (an Arabic neighbourhood in the North of Paris) proclaimed with a wide smile this morning pointing to the Tunisian flag his stand boasted ‘C’est la revolution! On voit la vie en rose maintenant.’ (It’s a revolution! We see life through rose-colored glasses now.) Evidently this Jasmine […]