Brexit Into Trumpland
British Prime Minister Theresa May is leading the United Kingdom toward a very “hard” Brexit in 2019 – and potentially off a cliff, if the
Politics
Analysis and debate on European and national politics, democracy, the rule of law, parties and elections, and Europe’s place in the world.
Why Has The White Working Class Abandoned The Left?
Maybe the most surprising political development during this decade is why increased inequality in almost all capitalist market societies has not resulted in more votes
Ten Theses For The Fight Against Right-Wing Populism
Who is drawn to right-wing populism and why is it so dangerous? 1. The real danger of right-wing populism lies in its ability to forge
The New Xenophobia
Democratic governments in the West are increasingly losing their bearings. From the shift toward illiberalism in Poland and Hungary to the Brexit vote in the
Europe Needs Franco-German Action To Project Power
After the shock of the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States in 2016, this will be a
Zygmunt Bauman: A Beacon Of Hope In The Darkness
I don’t know what to do. A world that was getting darker suddenly turned pitch black. Zygmunt Bauman is dead. The towering intellectual colossus of
Has Income Inequality Finally Got To Top Of The IMF Agenda?
Outgoing US President Barack Obama has named the reduction of economic inequality as the “defining challenge of our time”. This is true not only for
The Age Of Hyper-Uncertainty
The year 2017 will mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Age of Uncertainty. Forty years is a long time,
European Works Councils – Another Brexit Victim
European Works Councils (EWCs) are a living, functioning embodiment of Social Europe and the core EU concept that workers should have rights and, in exchange
Labour And Its Brexit Dilemma
The British Labour Party currently teeters on the brink, trapped between following many of its northern supporters in supporting an end to the freedom of
Europe’s Slow-Burning Issue – Making Work Sustainable
Making work sustainable is not simply a challenge for politicians and policymakers in the European Union: it is a fundamental issue that underpins the future
Reborn Social Democracy As ‘Progressive Communitarianism’
The new authoritarianism sweeping through liberal democracies increasingly justifies parallels with the 1930s. Now, like then, electorates face multiple insecurities: a lack of decent work,
It Can Happen Here! Why Donald Trump Affects Us All
In his 2004 novel The Plot against America, Philip Roth invoked the spectre of a fascist regime in the United States of America. Squarely in
Italy On The Brink
Political instability in Italy is nothing new. But Italian voters’ rejection of constitutional reforms in a referendum has not only led Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
Europe And The Globalization Of Unrest
Donald Trump’s victory has sent the liberal world order into a tailspin. We are not just facing a wake-up call; this wave of authoritarian national
Greater Inequality Not Due To New Technology And Free Trade
A popular narrative today is that low-income groups in the western world have fallen behind owing to jobs lost to new machines and to low-paid