Special Report: Europe, Striving for Normal

Special Report: Europe, Striving for Normal

Although 2013 marked a respite for Europe compared to previous years, the relative calm underscored the degree to which strategic relevance remains hampered, economic recovery fragile and normality elusive. The implications, for Europe’s partners but also for its democracies, are significant. This WPR special report examines Europe’s international and domestic challenges.

Foreign and Trade Policy

Europe’s Struggle for Strategic Competitiveness, Part I
By Richard Gowan
Nov. 25, 2013

Europe’s Struggle for Strategic Competitiveness, Part II
By Richard Gowan
Dec. 2, 2013

Ending the Pretense: Reinventing the Trans-Atlantic Relationship
By Judy Dempsey
June 25, 2013

U.S.-EU FTA Talks Chart a New Path for Global Trade
By Edward Alden
March 13, 2013

Europe’s Smart Pivot: The European Union in the Asian Century
By Javier Solana
June 25, 2013

Solar Panel Dispute Highlights EU Divisions on China
By Famke Krumbmuller
June 4, 2013

Can Europe Raise Its Game to Address Worsening Arab Crises?
By Richard Gowan
July 8, 2013

EU Engagement in the Sahel Shows Need for, and Obstacles to, Coordination
By Susi Dennison
Nov. 13, 2013

Can Risk-Averse EU Break Its Own Inertia on Iran Nuclear Talks?
By Rouzbeh Parsi
Nov. 6, 2013

Revamped Visegrad Group Yet to Live Up to Strategic Potential
By Robert Kron
July 1, 2013

Defense and Security

Missing in Action Again: The European Union and Mali
By Nick Witney
Jan. 22, 2013

Facing Drone Gap, Europe Plays Catch-Up on Capabilities and Ethics
By Maxime H.A. Larive
June 19, 2013

EU Has Started to Take Cybersecurity Much More Seriously
By Alexander Klimburg
July 18, 2013

U.S. Intelligence Leaks Offer Chance for European Counterterrorism Reform
By Benoît Gomis
July 8, 2013

With Defense Cooperation, Nordic Countries Seek More Bang for the Buck
By Magnus Nordenman
Sept. 23, 2013

Domestic and Bilateral

Extreme Right, Anti-Europe Parties Likely to Make Gains in EU Elections
By Matthew Goodwin
Nov. 15, 2013

Invisible Benefits: Why Bashing the EU Is So Easy
By John Peterson
June 25, 2013

Europe and the Ongoing Challenge of Right-Wing Extremism
By Matthew Goodwin
Jan. 22, 2013

Merkel’s Big Victory Shakes Up German Party System
By Catherine Cheney
Sept. 23, 2013

Amid Mixed Signals From Hollande, France and Germany Drift Apart
By Irene Finel-Honigman
May 24, 2013

End of Emergency Period in Sight for Italian Politics
By Michele Di Donato
Jan. 6, 2014

Politically Weakened, Poland’s Tusk Could Find Support From Independents Unreliable
By Aleks Szczerbiak
Sept. 30, 2013

Bulgaria Protests Target Politics of Business as Usual
By Andrew MacDowall
Aug. 6, 2013

Romania Environmental Protests a Sign of Wider Discontent
By Andrew MacDowall
Oct. 18, 2013

Economic Crisis

After Leaving Bailouts, Ireland, Portugal Must Still Promote Growth
By Milton Ezrati
Jan. 6, 2014

In Spain, a Turn to ‘None of the Above’
By Frida Ghitis
May 16, 2013

Southern Europe Faces Risk of Brain Drain as Skilled Workers Flee Recession
By Giulia Lasagni
July 18, 2013

After Bailout, Greece Controls Spending but Lags on Structural Reforms
By Dimitri A. Sotiropoulos
July 18, 2013

Virtue Versus Economic Policy in the Netherlands
By Frida Ghitis
May 30, 2013

Ukraine

As Yanukovych Digs In, European Vision Still Dominates in Ukraine
By Steven Pifer
Dec. 11, 2013

West Not Ready for Post-Yanukovych Ukraine
By Nikolas Gvosdev
Dec. 6, 2013

Ukraine’s Yanukovych Caught Between Russia and the European Union
By Steven Pifer
Oct. 23, 2013

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