Category: Uncategorized

  • Thank you!

    Thank you!

    The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union thanks all young bloggers who participated in the 2016 version of the blog ‘Young Voices of Europe’. The blog ‘Young Voices of Europe’ has (temporarily) ceased its activities.

  • After 2016, We Need to Start Talking to Each Other Again

    After 2016, We Need to Start Talking to Each Other Again

    There is a fallacy – one that seems to afflict liberals disproportionately – that all major political disagreements can ultimately be reduced to misunderstandings. Communication is the bedrock of human society, and the better we can communicate with one another the greater chance there is that such misunderstandings can be overcome. While it is tempting…

  • In Times of Fear

    In Times of Fear

    Donald Trump’s election as the new president of the United States of America sent shockwaves through the whole world. Some called it the US’ Brexit… to the power of ten. Again, the (lower) middle class has given the political and financial elites the finger [1]. This protest vote exemplifies just how deep the divide in…

  • How Populists Put Climate Protection at Risk

    How Populists Put Climate Protection at Risk

    While the UN climate change conference in Marrakesh just closed its doors, US president-elect Donald Trump is about to open the doors to his new work place – the Oval Office – in January. This is certainly bad news for those that fought hard to achieve the landmark that is the Paris Agreement, adopted last…

  • Now, with Trump in the White House, We Need a European Army

    Now, with Trump in the White House, We Need a European Army

    Much has been written about the new president-elect of the United States, and much about his total lack of experience in public office. Less remarked upon, however, is that Donald Trump has also never served in the armed forces, something regarded in times past as an alternative accolade of respectability for presidential candidates. Most famously,…

  • What Happens Now Trump Has Won?

    What Happens Now Trump Has Won?

    The result of the US presidential election has left me, like many others in shock. Although election results can sometimes come as a surprise, I was, again like many others, firmly convinced Hillary Clinton would win. As the news sent shock waves throughout the world, political leaders reluctantly started to change their statements, many of…

  • Chances for Wilders Getting Slimmer Ahead of Dutch Election

    Chances for Wilders Getting Slimmer Ahead of Dutch Election

    2017 will be the year of important elections in Europe. In France, Marine Le Pen has a chance to win the presidential elections and Germany will have to come to grips with the rise of the Alternative für Deutschland, a right-wing populist party which arrived on the political scene only three years ago and fed…

  • Brexit and the Mainstreaming of the Far-Right in Britain

    Brexit and the Mainstreaming of the Far-Right in Britain

    The Brexit vote reflects a triumph for nativist political ideas that have long been espoused by radicals and extremists. Yet it would be unfair and indeed, completely absurd to argue that the 52% of Leave voters are extremists or even radicals. The vote to leave the EU has provided succour to right-wing populists across the…

  • I Was Wrong – This Might Be the End of UKIP

    I Was Wrong – This Might Be the End of UKIP

    Back in March, before the referendum campaign that would ultimately eject Britain from the European Union, I wrote an article arguing that UKIP had successful transcended its status as a single-issue party. Like other groupings across Europe that began as protest movements against supranational integration, UKIP had broadened its appeal to become an expression of…

  • How the EU Global Strategy Reshapes Democracy Promotion

    How the EU Global Strategy Reshapes Democracy Promotion

    When Federica Mogherini took the stage on June 28, the vast majority of politicians and journalists were still buzzing around Brexit. Instead of joining the debates about the demise of the European project, the EU’s High Commissioner Mogherini went on to lay out a clear vision for the union’s further interactions with the world –…