A more or less regular feature. This week, updates from Germany, Austria, the Maldives, Luxembourg, Georgia and the Czech Republic.
A Republican post-mortem
Some thoughts on the root causes of last week's humiliating defeat for the Republican Party in the US.
Election preview: Luxembourg
Luxembourg goes to the polls tomorrow in an early election brought on by a spy scandal. At stake is the traditional dominance of the ruling Christian democrats and their long-serving leader.
Dragging God (or Allah) into politics
Is Allah an exclusively Muslim God, or can he be a Christian God as well? The answer, funnily enough, comes down to politics.
New Jersey picks a senator
As expected, the Democrats hold a Senate seat in a by-election. But New Jersey politics isn't always so predictable.
Europe looks eastward
A wide-ranging agreement is planned between Ukraine and the European Union, potentially opening the country further to the west and paving the way for EU membership. But it's something of a geopolitical minefield.
Reopening America’s government
Prospects are looking good for an end to the budget deadlock in the United States. While it will be sold as a bipartisan deal, in essence it amounts to a backdown by the Republicans.
Back at my desk
I'm back in Melbourne after a three-week trip around Europe – mostly Germany, Austria, Spain and Belgium. So expect blogging to start returning to a normal frequency (one or two posts a day). And there's plenty of available material in European events as well as the rest of the world. Some of the topics I … Continue reading Back at my desk
Germany coalition update
European coalitions work quite differently from Australian ones.
Election preview: Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev will be re-elected tomorrow, but at least the opposition is having a go this time.
The World is Not Enough 