The Wall Street Journal January 20, 2010 KABUL—The North Atlantic Treaty Organization plans to create a new top civilian post in Kabul to flank the U.S.-led coalition’s military chief in Afghanistan, and the British ambassador to Afghanistan is the leading contender, according to senior officials familiar with the matter. more
EuropeanVoice.com January 19, 2010 A referendum in Switzerland forbids the construction of new minarets. Racial violence explodes in the southern Italian region of Calabria. An intense and controversial debate takes place in France on the issue of national identity. These events have little in common, yet they all point to a growing European trend. more
Spiegel January 19, 2010 Taliban insurgents on Monday plunged the Afghan capital Kabul into chaos with a series of well-coordinated attacks across the city. Militarily, the offensive was a failure. But the propaganda value of the attack, which comes ahead of the Afghanistan conference later this month, is clear, say German commentators. more
Spiegel January 18, 2010 Favorite Viktor Yanukovich has won the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election, and now faces a run-off against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Both candidates appear confident of victory — and raise Russian hopes for a rapprochement between the two countries. more
The Wall Street Journal January 18, 2010 The European Union finally has in place a president of the European Council, Belgium’s former prime minister, Herman van Rompuy, and a foreign secretary (a.k.a. high representative), Labour Party stalwart Catherine Ashton. True, the European Union’s “democratic deficit” remains and the heads of state missed an opportunity to […]