Click here to download this article in PDF-format. There are two ways of looking at the succession of European crises. One is the negligence mode that is so typical of EU insiders. I call it ‘the circular mode’ and it goes roughly like this: we have seen many crises and the EU has always found […]
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Migration and the role of conflated ideas
Click here to download this article in PDF-format. The European Council held the final meeting of 2015 this week intending to discuss issues of major concern such as the effective handling of terrorism, the economic downturn that has plagued several countries since 2008 as well as the current refugee and migrant crisis. Reflecting on the latter, […]
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Rethinking economics part II
Click here to download this article in PDF-format. In my very first blog entry, I discussed the need to rethink economics in order to be able to reshape the structure of the European Union. As the end of this blog approaches, I want to go back to this topic and highlight what has changed, at least […]
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Craving for control: refugee screening in the EU and the US
Click here to download this article in PDF-format. The terrorist attacks in Paris have had a deep and lasting impact on the asylum and refugee debate in the EU and the US. One of the major issues discussed is how to enhance security screenings of refugees and migrants. In the European debate, the US procedures are […]
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Is Greece an entry point for terrorists?
As was widely reported, Greece was warned last week that it faces suspension from the border-free Schengen zone if authorities fail to adequately revamp its control of the EU’s external borders and deal with refugee arrivals more efficiently. Such a decision would cause much controversy as the Schengen agreement constitutes one of the fundamental pillars […]
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After Paris: five questions on (counter-)terrorism in Europe
The terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November and the unprecedented terror alert in Brussels over the past days have raised a number of questions, in Europe and beyond, on the scope of terrorist activities in Europe and on the effectiveness of governments’ response to this threat. This article addresses some of the key questions. […]
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China as a global actor and its relation with Europe
On 16-18 November 2015, the 23th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit took place in Manila. The Leaders’ Declaration condemned terroristic attacks, emphasised their commitment for the fight against corruption and a green, ecologically oriented development and the realisation of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). It was China that clearly dominated the summit, […]
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Something new on the Western front: the European meaning of political change in Portugal
I will admit this: it is not easy writing about the new political situation in Portugal when it is your country and you’re very much involved with what is at stake. As an example, I could start by telling you how the question of a left-wing supported government has been a deeply felt one, even […]
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ISIS in pursuit of its end: some reflections on its millenarian aspect
I think I know what ISIS attacked in Paris: the cosmopolitan and fraternal heart of a world-wide youth culture. (At least, that’s what I remember from living there: when I looked at the map of the attacks in the 10th and 11th Parisian arrondissements, I looked right at the epicentre the street where I used […]
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Terror alert in Europe: A comprehensive response to a comprehended threat
Brussels woke up with a terror hangover this Monday morning. The threat level remains at its highest level (level 4), for the second time only since it was created. While most of the city was shut down the entire weekend, schools and many public services remain closed at the time of writing. Security operations to […]
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The death of a river: the Rio Doce disaster and its implications
On the 5th of November two dams burst in Brazil, more precise in Minas Gerais, a south eastern state at the north of Rio de Janeiro, causing one of the worst, if not the biggest, ecological disaster of the country. The huge flood consisting of 60m cubic metres of toxic mud (which is equal to […]
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