Category Archives: essay

Raymond Aron on Europe, Israel, and dual loyalty

Posted on 7 February 2012 by craigjameswilly

Raymond Aron, it is no secret, is my favorite French intellectual of the twentieth century. He was not a Great Philosopher, nor did he create an all-encompassing system, but I think if one had to read one single author to … Continue reading →

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Europe on Autopilot: How Krugman predicted the euro-mess in… 1998

Posted on 29 January 2012 by craigjameswilly

I came across a December 1998 article in Fortune magazine by the indomitable Liberal economist and Nobel prize winner in which he takes a critical look at the monetary union the Europeans were creating. It’s quite amazing how much has not changed … Continue reading →

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In Defense of Decadent Europe: Is it “the best place on Earth to be born”?

Posted on 10 July 2011 by craigjameswilly

“The European Union is great. It is the best place on Earth to be born and to live your life.” – Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, 1 July 2011 For those of us involved in European affairs, it has … Continue reading →

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EurActiv’s Redesign: Can EU news be sexy?

Posted on 17 May 2011 by craigjameswilly

That is the question posed by the recently-launched redesigned website of EurActiv, my current very dear employers as you can surmise from the “published work” section. I invite my readers, especially non-Brussels bubble inhabitants, to comment on attractiveness, ease of use, … Continue reading →

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Bin Laden Is Dead: Some Thoughts on the End of an Era

Posted on 5 May 2011 by craigjameswilly

This is the first rather US-centric post on this blog. I decided to publish it as it came out, very naturally one evening, on the news of Osama bin Laden’s death. I was going to write something on the European … Continue reading →

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Europe as a “big Switzerland”

Posted on 28 March 2011 by craigjameswilly

It’s been a little unreal following the developments in Libya and the very ad hoc Western response to it. The whole thing is a bit of a ramshackle affair: an ever-evolving mission cobbled together by a slightly erratic French president and poor … Continue reading →

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Did Kohl Give Up the Deutsche Mark for East Germany?

Posted on 12 October 2010 by craigjameswilly

Der Spiegel has a long, in-depth article covering Franco-German machinations on the eve of German Reunification. Specifically, it deals with an alleged “deal” between François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl tying German unity to the abandonment of the Deustche Mark.  Everyone … Continue reading →

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“Thanks to men like him, France lives and will not disappear”

Posted on 9 October 2010 by craigjameswilly

The “Socialist-Gaullist” Jean-Pierre Chevènement (famous for his resignation as Defense Minister over France’s participation in the 1991 Gulf War) recently wrote a touching tribute to Pierre Gallois, a promoter and the principle theorist of France’s nuclear force de frappe. Gallois … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Of, essay, France | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments