As the Euro crisis metastizes to Spain, Italy and elsewhere, European institutions are busy to try to keep the most stricken patient, Greece, alive. The European Commission has set up a high-powered task force “to identify and coordinate the technical assistance that Greece needs to deliver the EU/IMF adjustment programme and accelerate the absorption of EU funds.” (More…)
There is nothing so beautiful as the faces of insurgents. Nothing in this world is so attractive, so full of hope. No journalist, no politician, no religious leader or other sort of leader will ever be able to extinguish the beauty of the revolt or bury it under discourses that know nothing of joy or longing. (More…)
Few entities inspire as much fear as Europe. Whether it’s the two World Wars, the Holocaust, or colonialism, the bad rap has generally been justified. Add the current economic crisis to the list, and it’s hard to imagine the anxiety ever going away. (More…)
Few cities epitomize multiethnic Germany more than Stuttgart. With up to 40% of the population estimated to be of foreign background, the southwestern town, best known for its automotive industry, is as diverse as its more hyped peer, Berlin. (More…)
Protestations against individual instances of violence ignore their origins. Tellingly, they often indulge hypocrisy: this is an outrage against the norm, or so the logic goes. But, as long as it remains unnoticed, the norm remains violence. Israeli government denunciations of ex-IDF officer Shalom Eisner are a perfect case in point. (More…)
Until the Arab Spring, few Middle Eastern states were less in public consciousness than Syria. If you knew anything about the country, chances are it was in relation to Israel, or, if you followed the War on Terror, Iraq. Otherwise, it was a blank. (More…)
We Iranians have a lot on our plates these days: the looming shadow of war, crippling international sanctions that are starving our economy and making life miserable, a despotic theocratic regime that controls every aspect of our lives. And, to add insult to injury, American reality shows that ridicule our culture and make us look like idiots. (More…)
Italy’s Lega Nord (Northern League) does not inspire much brand name recognition. Outside the country, that is. With the exception of Italian expats, and students of European populism, the anti-immigrant party has been relatively invisible to the outside world, compared to sibling organizations such as France’s National Front, and Austria’s Freedom Party. (More…)
“Can eight people from different worlds in the same city really define what it means to be British in 2012?” That bit of hokum sets the scene for Make Bradford British, a two-episode reality TV series recently aired on Channel 4 that shows that when it comes to mediating racial and cultural conflict, there’s still room for sweet but superficial fluff. (More…)
“Neither Kebab nor burgers.” As soon as you see the wording, and look at the illustrations, you know what’s coming. A Frenchman is most happy with his indigenous cuisine, a ham and butter sandwich. Note the inevitable baguette, and the trademark beret on top of the white guy’s head. Everything screams ‘France’. If you vote National Front, that is. (More…)
Given its viral success, it might be redundant to explain that Kony 2012 refers to both the Invisible Children campaign, and a documentary centrepiece designed to promote celebrity warlord Joseph Kony. Already indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, the Ugandan’s capture is now sought, ostensibly through military intervention. (More…)
Paris is plastered with montages. This Bastille wall, featuring a mashup of leftist posters, is especially notable. Not just for its politics, but the message it communicates. The top layer, featuring a flyer dispelling myths about HIV infection, sits on top of a poster that states “I vote socialist.” Linked together, and you have an argument in favor of public health care. Well, not exactly. But the insinuation is clear. (More…)