Western Europe Archive

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series about education policy in various countries around the world. In July, the highest Dutch court ruled that the government was required to fund an Islamic secondary school, only the second of its kind in the Netherlands. While several public and civil entities opposed the decision, the distinctive Dutch system of education, which allows a significant degree of freedom and autonomy, provided the legal basis for the court’s decision. In an email interview, Edith Hooge, a full professor in governance in education at TIAS, Tilburg University in the Netherlands, explains what […]

BERLIN—For weeks, Germany’s upcoming federal election has seemed like something of an anti-climax. Chancellor Angela Merkel, content to run a retrospective campaign based on her 12 years in power, appears set to cruise to another four-year term. Her center-right party’s traditional opponents on the left have found little traction in their criticism of Merkel’s record, in large part because they have spent the past four years in a governing coalition with her. Potentially divisive issues looming on the horizon have gone unaddressed. This unusual harmony may mask future problems for Merkel and Germany after the voting on Sunday. Merkel and […]

On Sept. 5, France announced it would arm the six Reaper drones that until now it has used almost exclusively for surveillance in counterterrorism operations in Africa’s Sahel region. The announcement marks a logical step in France’s increasing reliance on unmanned drones. But what does it mean for drone policy in France and the United States, and for the norms of drone proliferation? That France would eventually aim to arm its drones should come as no surprise; France has had an interest in unmanned aircraft technology for years. But the European consortium responsible for pooling member country resources and developing […]

Last week, Iceland’s fragile ruling government collapsed under the weight of an unraveling pedophilia scandal that came to light over the summer. Elections have been called for Oct. 28, but with Icelandic politics more fractured than ever, there is no telling if scandal-ridden Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson will again occupy the nation’s highest office. In an email interview, Icelandic journalist Thorgils Jonsson provides the context for the controversy and explains what it all means for Iceland’s troubled politics and resurgent economy. WPR: Iceland’s prime minister has just called for a snap election. What led to the collapse of his ruling […]

Is the European Union finally out of the woods? Two years after the refugee and migrant crisis drove a continent-wide populist backlash, the existential threat to the union seems to be over. Optimism over signs of economic recovery is spreading, and the political landscape, though permanently altered in some places, seems to be recovering from the seismic upheaval of the past few years. Most importantly, the Franco-German partnership, historically the political motor of the EU’s development, seems to have regained its relevance, with both countries on solid footing domestically and in tandem. But many of the underlying challenges facing the […]

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and senior editor, Frederick Deknatel, discuss the looming battle over Syria’s reconstruction and the new realm of the North Korean threat after Pyongyang’s most recent nuclear test. For the Report, Andrew Green talks with Peter Dörrie about why German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door response to the migrant and refugee crisis upended Germany’s Africa policy and how Merkel is now trying to stem the flow of African migrants. If you like what you hear on Trend Lines, as well as what you’ve seen on WPR, please think about supporting our work […]

BERLIN—When Adam Bahar fled Sudan in 2008, he had no plans to head to Germany. Bahar’s family is originally from the historically neglected Darfur region in Sudan’s west. When fighters from the region rebelled against the Khartoum-based government in 2003, they were met with sweeping violence. The government backed a genocidal response aimed not just at the rebels, but also their perceived civilian sympathizers. Nearly 15 years later, spasmodic attacks continue. Listen to Andrew Green discuss this article on WPR’s Trend Lines Podcast. His audio begins at 21:10: Bahar, living in Khartoum when the fighting began, was horrified both by […]

Lately, it seems that every week Germany’s ties with Turkey hit another low point, and there are few signs of this trend reversing any time soon. The latest escalation came with the arrest last week of Dogan Akhanli, a Turkish-born German writer on vacation in Spain, following a warrant issued by Turkey. German officials decried the move as politically motivated and warned that the Turkish government may be using the multinational police organization Interpol to pursue political opponents abroad. Akhanli’s detention is the most recent in a string of arrests of German citizens both in Turkey and abroad. Since the […]