Europe/Russia

Essential Documents

Remarks by Secretary Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Hague, February 2013

Secretary John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague gave these remarks after their meeting on February 25, 2013, Kerry's first stop on his first international tour as Secretary of State. They discussed negotiations with Israel-Palestine, the Syrian crisis, Iran's nuclear program, troops in Afghanistan and North Africa, and the U.S.-EU transatlantic trade agreemeent.

See more in U.K., Diplomacy, Peacekeeping

Essential Documents

Joint Statement on U.S.-EU Negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, February 2013

President Barack Obama, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave this joint statement on February 13, 2013. It announced the launch of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, at the recommendation of a report from the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth.

See more in United States, EU, Trade

Interview

Papacy in Transition

James P. McCartin interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman

The surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has given rise to speculations that the next pontiff to lead the Catholic Church will hail from the developing world, says expert James P. McCartin.

See more in Vatican, Religion

Essential Documents

Report of the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth, February 2013

Led by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Unites States Trade Representative Ron Kirk, the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth presented its final report on February 11, 2013. It recommended the launch of trade and investment negotiations between the United States and the European Union, which leaders announced they would do.

See more in United States, EU, Trade

Essential Documents

Vice President Biden's Remarks at the Munich Security Conference, February 2013

Vice President Joe Biden presented these remarks at the Munich Security Conference on February 2, 2013. He discussed developments in American foreign policy and international security over the last four years, regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear program, the global financial crisis, counterterrorism, and the relationship between the United States and Russia.

See more in Europe/Russia, International Peace and Security

Op-Ed

The BoE Is Getting "Libored"

Authors: Benn Steil and Dinah Walker
Wall Street Journal Europe

Benn Steil's Wall Street Journal Europe op-ed, co-authored with Dinah Walker, argues that the Bank of England is getting "Libored"—that is, misled and manipulated—by the banks benefiting from its Funding for Lending Scheme. The Fed, which has shown interest in the scheme, should beware.

See more in United States, U.K., Economics, Capital Markets, Financial Crises, Geoeconomics, International Finance

Must Read

London Review of Books: In Search of Monsters

Author: Stephen Smith

Jihadists were already finding it hard to operate in North Africa before the Arab Spring of 2011. Since then their problems have become almost insurmountable: they thrive only in countries where Islamists are in prison, not where they are in the ascendant or contesting elections. As for Europe, the last attacks instigated by al-Qaida date back to Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Jihadism looks less like a rising phenomenon in the north of Mali than a force in retreat. The French intervention may well give them purpose and greater coherence.

See more in Mali, France, Havens for Terrorism