Germany: influence of AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013, is a right-wing populist and Eurosceptic political party. In 2016 it made an alliance with the Freedom Party of Austria, with both party leaders saying border control officers should…
German election, Brexit and Ireland
The German elections have weakened Chancellor Merkel’s leadership authority. Weeks of Brexit talks will be lost while Germany forms a government that can command a majority in its parliament. In the UK there are disagreements between…
Crimea: human rights crimes
The UN has accused Russia of committing grave human rights violations in Crimea. There is a need for accountability. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, after that country's leader was overthrown. The UN report…
EU: Macron demands EU treaty changes
In what will be seen as a kick in the teeth to Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, Emmanuel Macron insisted that the EU should set goals for the next ten years and enforce treaty changes,…