Western Europe

Analysis Brief

The G20's Eurozone Problem

Author: Christopher Alessi

G20 finance ministers are pressing their EU counterparts to provide a comprehensive plan for stabilizing the eurozone and easing fears of contagion. They have signaled that, for now, the onus is on Europe to fix its debt problems.

See more in Western Europe, Financial Crises

Video

Preventing the Spread of Greece's Crisis

Speaker: Sebastian Mallaby

Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, says Greece is nearing a turning point in its debt crisis. Mallaby predicts that "Greece is going to have to default, it's going to have to be restructured in its debt," and argues that policy-makers need to "prevent the fire from spreading out of Greece and causing trouble all across the eurozone."

See more in Greece, Western Europe, Economics

Primary Sources

Locke's Second Treatise of Government

John Locke published the second of his two treatises in 1690. It dealt with his political philsophy on civil society and includes chapters on the state of nature, the state of war, slavery, property, and government and legislative and other powers.

See more in U.K., Human Rights

Primary Sources

Magna Carta

The Magna Carta is an English charter dating to 1215. The National Archives calls the Magna Carta a “charter of ancient liberties guaranteed by a king to his subjects” and gives this history of the document:

“King John of England agreed, in 1215, to the demands of his barons and authorized that handwritten copies of Magna Carta be prepared on parchment, affixed with his seal, and publicly read throughout the realm. Thus he bound not only himself but his "heirs, for ever" to grant "to all freemen of our kingdom" the rights and liberties the great charter described. With Magna Carta, King John placed himself and England's future sovereigns and magistrates within the rule of law.”

See more in U.K., Rule of Law

Transcript

A Conversation with the Right Honorable Theresa May

Speaker: Theresa May
Presider: Christopher Isham

Following the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 and the six-year anniversary of the London subway bombings, Theresa May discusses counterterrorism strategy in the United Kingdom. The meeting focused on the nature of the threat, its evolution, the impact of events like the Arab Spring, and the United Kingdom's response, particularly as it prepares for the 2012 Olympics.

See more in U.K., Counterterrorism

Primary Sources

Atlantic Charter

The Atlantic Charter was a statement drafted by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Atlantic Conference in August 1941. It was issued on August 14, 1941. The statement set out goals for the Allies in World War II and was agreed to by the Allies in January 1942.

See more in United States, Western Europe, Human Rights

Podcast

The World Next Week: August 11, 2011

CFR's Director of Studies James Lindsay and Director of the International Institutions and CFR.org Editor Robert McMahon preview major world events in the week ahead.

In this week's podcast: Iowa Republicans cast their ballots in the Ames Straw poll; Vice President Joe Biden visits Asia; The trial of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resumes in Cairo; Germany marks the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall.

See more in United States, Germany, China, Egypt, U.S. Strategy and Politics

Interview

Political Ripples of EU's Sovereign Debt Crisis

Franco Pavoncello interviewed by Christopher Alessi

Eurozone leaders meeting for tomorrow's summit are unnecessarily worried about contagion to Italy, but a growing sovereign debt crisis highlights the role of politics in the markets and the need to find common, EU-wide solutions, says expert Franco Pavoncello.

See more in Italy, Financial Crises