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The Resistible Fall of Europe: An Interview with George Soros

15 May 2013 | The politics of the eurozone countries is European politics, and European politics is not serving these countries well. In an extended interview, George Soros explains why – and what should be done about it.

Europe’s Lost-and-Found Decade

19 Mar 2013 | It is unlikely that Europe’s economy will follow the pattern of emerging-market crises and rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes. But, for better or worse, the fact that the most severe political and social turbulence is yet to come at least means that Europe will be unable to afford the dithering that produced Japan’s lost decade.

The Euro’s House Divided

1 Mar 2013 | The European Commission’s latest economic outlook paints a disheartening picture of a deep and persistent economic and social divide within the eurozone. Such a gulf within a monetary union cannot be sustained for very long.

The Eclipse of British Reason

23 Jan 2013 | When placed under too much strain, chains tend to break at the weakest link. But, as British Prime Minister David Cameron has now demonstrated, the European chain is most likely to break not at its weakest link, but at its most irrational.

The False Promise of a Eurozone Budget

6 Dec 2012 | The US monetary union is frequently said to work much better than Europe's because a large federal budget smooths the impact of shocks to individual states; so the eurozone, it is claimed, should have its own budget to provide similarly automatic insurance to its members. But this argument misreads the US experience.

A Death in Galway

30 Nov 2012 | The case of Savita Halappanavar, who died after Irish doctors refused to terminate her life-threatening pregnancy, reverses Western stereotypes regarding Eastern societies. Halappanavar’s death resulted from the atavism of a Western theocracy, while protesters in her native India have upheld the Enlightenment's rationalist ethos.

A Europe of Solidarity, Not Only Discipline

30 Oct 2012 | The decision at the EU summit in June to form a banking union, and the ECB’s commitment to unlimited intervention in the sovereign-bond market, could be a turning point for Europe were these steps reinforced with additional measures. Unfortunately, the EU’s unfolding tragedy characteristically feeds on such glimmers of hope.

The Mirage of Youth Unemployment

15 Aug 2012 | Outrageously high youth unemployment – supposedly near 50% in Spain and Greece, and more than 20% in the eurozone – makes headlines daily. But these numbers result from a flawed methodology, making the situation appear far worse than it is.

Europe’s Solidarity Imperative

9 Aug 2012 | No one doubts that Germany and most other eurozone members would prefer the single currency to continue. The uncertainty is whether this preference may be overridden by pressing considerations of national politics, or resentment at the slow pace of reform in certain eurozone countries.

Eurodämmerung

3 Aug 2012 | In the Bavarian State Opera's recent production of Richard Wagner's apocalyptic Götterdämmerung, the doomed characters held onto a rocking horse in the form of a large golden euro symbol. Revealingly, the most charismatic singer on stage was not from Europe.

The European Banking Union?

13 Jun 2012 | In blatant violation of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Commission has come forward with one bailout plan after another for Europe’s distressed economies. Now it wants to socialize not only government debt by introducing Eurobonds, but also banking debt by proclaiming a “banking union.”

Ten Reasons for Europe

21 May 2012 | Many now believe that the euro will not survive a failed political class in Greece or escalating levels of unemployment in Spain, and that its demise will take down the EU as well. But, while the future of Europe has never been more uncertain, many factors suggest that the pessimists are wrong.

Austerity According to St. Augustine

30 Mar 2012 | The key to the Europe's debt problems lies in St. Augustine’s plea: “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” Up-front gradualism must be the name of the game – and adjustment must be wedded to a growth strategy.

JAMES: The British “Non”

11 Dec 2011 | At the just-concluded EU summit, British Prime Minister David Cameron vented decades of accumulated resentment stemming from his country’s relationship with Europe. It wasn't the first time a UK leader has adopted a stance of heroic resistance to Europe – only to be remembered as irrelevant and discredited.

JAMES: The Poetry of the Euro

5 Dec 2011 | The euro was not just the outcome of an idiosyncratic quest to reduce the wear on pockets stuffed with odd national coins, or to facilitate intra-European trade. The bold European experiment reflected a new attitude about what money should do, as well as how it should be managed.

STIGLITZ: The Globalization of Protest

4 Nov 2011 | With globalization and modern technology, social movements can transcend borders as rapidly as ideas can. And social protest has found fertile ground everywhere: a sense that the “system” has failed, and the conviction that even in a democracy, the electoral process will not set things right – at least not without strong pressure from the street.

Memo From Europe: Euro, Meant to Unite Europe, Seems to Be Dividing It

20 Oct 2011 | The crisis has roots in imbalances between north and south, rich and poor, export- and service-led economies.

EUROPE: The Euro’s Hard Rain Falls

7 Oct 2011 | The Euro’s Hard Rain Falls Politicians and bankers made grave errors that contributed to the current euro crisis. But, regardless of how bad Europe's political and financial leaders may seem, a sudden rise in the number of incompetent or immoral individuals throughout the eurozone's periphery is not a credible explanation of this crisis.

The Ticking Euro Bomb: How the Euro Zone Ignored Its Own Rules

6 Oct 2011 | After they joined the euro zone, the countries of southern Europe suddenly discovered they could borrow money at German-style rates, and any hope of sorting out their dodgy finances vanished. But it was France and Germany who set the worst example, when they broke the euro-zone rules they had forced on others. By SPIEGEL Staff.

BURUMA: Europe without Turkey

8 Jul 2011 | Most European citizens (for example, more than 60% in France and Germany) believe that Turkey should not become part of the EU, and to insist on it would smack of precisely the kind of undemocratic paternalism that has turned many Europeans against the EU already. But, on this question, the majority is not right.

As Nationalism Surges in Europe, Poland Begins Bloc Presidency

2 Jul 2011 | Poland took over the rotating presidency of the European Union, and disapproved of the wave of national interests competing with regional pursuits.

Does Europe Have a Death Wish?

27 Jun 2011 | Does Europe Have a Death Wish? The European financial crisis is really a political crisis, because EU leaders are unable to decide on the necessary measures. Resolving this crisis requires more Europe and more integration, not less.

The Economic Governance the EU Needs

17 Jun 2011 | Two lessons have emerged from Europe’s financial crisis. First, there is no substitute for timely and coordinated action when the single currency is under pressure. Second, all eurozone countries are effectively in the same boat. If the boat springs a leak, everyone sinks.

Finland’s Turn to Right Sends Shivers Through Euro Zone

22 Apr 2011 | The obscure True Finns party grabbed a share of the government in elections last week after campaigning on the evils of the European Union and its bailouts of Greece and Ireland.