David Cameron is fighting against the likely nominee for the presidency of the European Commission – not just because he thinks it's the wrong choice (although he does), but because he has a different view about the process.
Category: Political issues
A flawed election in Mauritania
Mauritania's president is re-elected overwhelmingly in an election boycotted by the major opposition forces. It's an improvement on naked dictatorship, but well short of real democracy.
Indexing democracy
The Economist publishes its latest Democracy Index, raising some interesting questions about just what it's trying to measure.
Who’s afraid of Greece’s Nazis?
Warnings about the rise of Golden Dawn are worth hearing, but probably overstated.
Ukraine’s president off to a good start
Petro Poroshenko has been inaugurated as Ukraine's new president, with a conciliatory Russian response that raises hopes for peace in the country's troubled east.
A monarch exits, but not a monarchy
The Spanish king is stepping down, but there is unlikely to be any rapid road back to a republic.
Putin, fascism and Europe
Does Vladimir Putin have a vested interest in the outcome of this week's elections to the European parliament?
A coup – or not – in Bangkok
Martial law is declared in Bangkok, but the government remains in place for now. The generals seem set on trying to impose some sort of compromise.
End of the Arab Spring, part III: Syria
Syria is where the Arab Spring really came to grief, and its example is a powerful deterrent to other anti-government movements.
End of the Arab Spring, part I: Algeria
This disappointed hopes of the Arab Spring were on show in last week's one-sided election in Algeria.
The World is Not Enough 