Discussing the protracted negotiations to end the Vietnam war, the American diplomat John Negroponte once said that it had taken a long time to “force…
Thought Babble
Think pieces, Babble style.
Can logic prevail and the UK find an ‘Exit from Brexit’?
The Brexit debate in the UK has never been about reason and logic. For many protagonists on both sides of the argument, it is not…
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… The next Austrian government
The Austrian elections are over and Sebastian Kurz’ conservative ÖVP has come out on top. The night ended in bitter tears for the socialist SPÖ,…
A Tale of Two Parliaments
The Oxford English dictionary is known for its new words of the year list. But do we have any such celebration for reclaiming old words…
Turkey – A fundamentally divided country
The recent Istanbul mayoral election in June 2019 demonstrated the divisions in Turkish politics – between those on the left who aspire for Turkey to…
Albania: Justice Reform or Judicial Gangs’ Cleansing?
In Albania, Lady Justice doesn’t have a blindfold on her eyes, she wears Armani sunglasses. The balance in her hand is to measure how much…
Time for refusal of EU Membership
In a cliché finale of the judiciary corruption drama, the Constitutional Court of Albania lost its “Head”, Xhevair Zaganjori, because, according to AP News, his…
Europe’s struggle with democracy
‘The European Union is too far removed from its citizens,’ is a sentence uttered all too often. Europhiles have passionately defended the democratic nature of…
How Brexit Could Mean a Shift to the Right for the Whole EU
The far-right undercurrent in Europe is nothing new, but experts are now warning that these former marginal pockets of extremism are gaining support from a…
A New European Social Contract: Rethinking Our Welfare State
This article was produced thanks to our partnership with EU Events. The welfare state is a universal concept in Europe. It is a pillar of…