“Willkommen in Wust! Willkommen in Saxony-Anhalt!” These were the first words I heard following 18 hours of travel as my host parents, Sigrun and Matthias, welcomed me with open arms. Wust, a town of just over 800 residents in old East German...
On September 2, in a village outside Chișinău, Moldova, a young woman, known to her associates as Ana Nastas, handed out a stack of anti-EU leaflets rife with misinformation that had been produced by Ilan Shor, a Russophilic Moldovan oligarch and p...
Ireland is your favorite multinational corporation’s favorite country. Why? Over the last 25 years, the country has molded itself into a leading corporate tax haven, shielding businesses with subsidiaries in Ireland from worldwide taxation. Drawing...
Ever since Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine gained traction in the early 19th century, vaccination has formed the bedrock of public health. Vaccination for diseases like diphtheria, measles, and hepatitis B has become commonplace throughout much of...
Ever since Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine gained traction in the early 19th century, vaccination has formed the bedrock of public health. Vaccination for diseases like diphtheria, measles, and hepatitis B has become commonplace throughout much of...
In a given year, 4,224 people are killed by police brutality in Brazil (2016), 1,147 in the U.S. (2017), and 11 in Germany (2016). In England and Wales, only 55 people have been shot in the past 24 years. While the high rate of fatal shootings in the...
In a given year, 4,224 people are killed by police brutality in Brazil (2016), 1,147 in the U.S. (2017), and 11 in Germany (2016). In England and Wales, only 55 people have been shot in the past 24 years. While the high rate of fatal shootings in the...
Tucked away in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains northwest of Madrid lies a monumental reminder of Europe’s authoritarian past: el Valle de los Caídos, or the Valley of the Fallen. The site consists of a Benedictine monastery at the crest of a mo...
Tucked away in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains northwest of Madrid lies a monumental reminder of Europe’s authoritarian past: el Valle de los Caídos, or the Valley of the Fallen. The site consists of a Benedictine monastery at the crest of a mo...
In the German federal elections this past September, the country’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) received only 20.5 percent of the vote—an all-time low. Since then, the SPD has struggled to reposition itself in the new German political arena. In ...
In the German federal elections this past September, the country’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) received only 20.5 percent of the vote—an all-time low. Since then, the SPD has struggled to reposition itself in the new German political arena. In ...
This past December, Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the Dayton Accords, the U.S.-led peace treaty that officially halted the madness and horror of the Bosnian civil war. The air in Sarajevo was not quite filled with doves an...
This past December, Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the Dayton Accords, the U.S.-led peace treaty that officially halted the madness and horror of the Bosnian civil war. The air in Sarajevo was not quite filled with doves an...
When he speaks of addressing homelessness, the architect-turned-advocate Rex Hohlbein describes the power inherent in a “critical mass of kindness.” To Hohlbein, the creator of Facing Homelessness, a Seattle-based advocacy organization that seeks...
When he speaks of addressing homelessness, the architect-turned-advocate Rex Hohlbein describes the power inherent in a “critical mass of kindness.” To Hohlbein, the creator of Facing Homelessness, a Seattle-based advocacy organization that seeks...
In the relatively peaceful world of European politics, governments rarely reach into the toolbox of physical coercion. After all, sending riot police to club citizens with truncheons in full view of TV cameras seldom wins over hearts and minds. Thus,...
In the relatively peaceful world of European politics, governments rarely reach into the toolbox of physical coercion. After all, sending riot police to club citizens with truncheons in full view of TV cameras seldom wins over hearts and minds. Thus,...
On October 1, the Parliament of Catalonia defied Spain’s federal government by holding a referendum on Catalan independence. Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain, has long been ambivalent towards Spanish rule, and has historically attemp...
On October 1, the Parliament of Catalonia defied Spain’s federal government by holding a referendum on Catalan independence. Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain, has long been ambivalent towards Spanish rule, and has historically attemp...
On September 23, standing in front of a banner declaring, “Ahead for a New Front,” French presidential runner-up Marine Le Pen announced the “historic rebuilding” of the Front National (FN). This announcement marked the kick-off of a t...
On September 23, standing in front of a banner declaring, “Ahead for a New Front,” French presidential runner-up Marine Le Pen announced the “historic rebuilding” of the Front National (FN). This announcement marked the kick-off of a t...
When former British Prime Minister David Cameron urged his countrymen not to vote to leave the EU and raised the specter of war in a divided Europe, he was on to something. However, it is not disunity on the continent he should have been worrying abo...
When former British Prime Minister David Cameron urged his countrymen not to vote to leave the EU and raised the specter of war in a divided Europe, he was on to something. However, it is not disunity on the continent he should have been worrying abo...
Once again, Greece is making headlines for its economic troubles as it heads towards a major confrontation with its European creditors and the IMF. Tensions over bailout negotiations are on the rise and many are worried Athens will see itself in irre...
Once again, Greece is making headlines for its economic troubles as it heads towards a major confrontation with its European creditors and the IMF. Tensions over bailout negotiations are on the rise and many are worried Athens will see itself in irre...
When TV comedian Beppe Grillo and web activist Gianroberto Casaleggio started a political movement in 2009, few believed it would become a major force in Italian politics. Yet eight years later, the MoVimento 5 Stelle (M5s) has emerged as one of the ...
When TV comedian Beppe Grillo and web activist Gianroberto Casaleggio started a political movement in 2009, few believed it would become a major force in Italian politics. Yet eight years later, the MoVimento 5 Stelle (M5s) has emerged as one of the ...