A few hours ago – midnight local time, or 8am eastern Australian time – the European Union became a little bigger, with the accession of Croatia as its 28th member. From its modest beginnings more than 60 years ago as an agreement of six western European countries to pool some of their industrial resources, the EU … Continue reading Welcoming a bigger Europe
Getting the story straight in Africa
Barack Obama is starting to tell a consistent story about human rights in Africa, and by implication elsewhere – helped by this week's Supreme Court decision on gay rights.
Incentive effects
If you increase the demand for political bastardry, you'll get more of it in the future. It's not entirely clear that the federal Labor Party realises this.
Sex, Politics and Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi has moved closer to going to jail, on a charge that almost by coincidence tells us a lot about his record.
Albania swings leftward
Albania seems to be heading for a centre-left government on the basis of early election results, with incumbent Sali Berisha facing defeat.
The tea party fights back on immigration
A new study on the "tea party" movement gives some hints on why immigration reform is such a hard sell in the US Republican Party.
Election roundup time
An occasional feature in which we summarise the latest election news. This week: Albania, Mongolia, Kuwait, Mali and Zimbabwe.
Does anyone know what to do about Syria?
The G8 communiqué calls for peace talks, a political solution and a democratic Syria. Unfortunately it leaves us none the wiser about how to get there.
Do libertarians believe in democracy?
A set-to between Jon Chait and Rand Paul has an important moral. Democrats should get over their fear of limited government, and libertarians should get over their fear of democracy.
The right way to handle protests
Mass protests in Brazil echo those of a fortnight ago in Turkey, but the government's response so far has been very different. Rhetoric isn't everything, but it matters.
The World is Not Enough 