The Macron Method
Emmanuel Macron’s election to the French presidency provides the European Union with an opportunity to move past the internal conflicts that have hastened its disintegration.
Confronting Europe’s Illiberals
European politicians have mastered the art of wagging their finger, most recently at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and US President
Rethinking German Economic Policy
When I was student at the LSE many years ago I shared lodgings with a German exchange student from the University of Munich, son of
Politics Returns: Global Clash Between Nationalism And Federalism
There is a striking analogy between the current global economic and political crisis and the world crisis that occurred between two world wars. Then the
Europe En Marche?
Average unemployment rates continue to fall across Europe, employment is growing again in middle-paying jobs, offshoring is on the decline, the proportion of routine jobs
Democracy Under Stress
Freedom House recently demoted the United States from top rank among the world’s democracies. The reasons given include ‘the cumulative impact of flaws in the
Has Populism Peaked?
After last year, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and the United States elected Donald Trump as president, xenophobic nationalism was
Progress Revisited
Nowadays, in times of the decline of modernity, progress no longer enjoys a good reputation. It has fallen short of expectations, is accused of producing
The Immigration Policy Turn: The Danish Social Democratic Case
The Danish Social Democratic Party (SD) has recently changed course on immigration policy in a more restrictive direction. This change of policy is marked and
Can Macron Succeed Where Obama Failed?
For the first time in years, France is being looked at with interest and admiration. The country is having its ‘Obama moment’: the feeling that
Building A Europe For The People
‘For the people, not just for the elites!’: this is the rallying cry of all brands of populism. The triumph of populism is a calamity,
Ireland’s Brexit Borders: A Possible Solution
In the Brexit negotiations the European Council says it will ‘protect’ Ireland’s cross-border Peace Process; given ‘the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, flexible
Populism, Austerity And Democratic Deficit
Critiques of the European Union target a political problem – the so-called democratic deficit – and an economic (and social) one: austerity, sometimes subsumed under
Macron And The Nordic Model
Emmanuel Macron’s political success has surprised many political commentators. The fact that in a large country like France with long-standing political traditions and within a
The Varieties Of Populist Experience
Emmanuel Macron’s decisive defeat of Marine Le Pen in the French presidential runoff was a major victory for liberal Europe. But it was a battle,