January 19, 2009: Yesterday’s state election in Hessen shows change may be ahead when the next German national government is elected in September. It looks like FDP party chairman Guido Westerwelle will be the new foreign minister. What does Westerwelle stand for? Read more »
February 10, 2009: Despite the Irish government’s plan to have another national referendum on the EU Lisbon treaty, the treaty now faces a new hurdle from the EU’s most loyal member: Germany. A constitutional challenge looms in Germany’s highest court. Read more »
March 1, 2009: The Vatican was embarrassed by a restored bishop’s views on the Holocaust, clouding the significance of the restoration itself. Benedict’s rehabilitation of bishops from the Society of St. Pius X reflects the pope’s conservatism. Read more »
March 24, 2009: Anyone who wants to buy gold, oil or securities on world markets usually pays with the U.S. dollar. The dollar has been the leading reserve and trading currency since World War II. The worldwide financial crisis now prompts China to challenge the dollar. Read more »
April 6, 2009: When President Barack Obama spoke out at the EU-USA summit in favor of EU membership for Turkey, France and Germany responded with "No, we can't!" In fact, Germany and France oppose any enlargement of the EU unless the Lisbon treaty is approved. Read more »
May 6, 2009: The Czech senate has approved the EU treaty of Lisbon, removing a big obstacle to the treaty's implementation. Now all that remains is for Czech president Klaus to sign the treaty and for Irish voters to approve it in a 2nd referendum later this year. Read more »
May 30, 2009: Voters in the European Union are called to the polls next week to select representatives for the European Parliament. However, voter turnout is expected to be low. Would a direct election for an EU President promote greater interest in the EU? Read more »
June 30, 2009: Germany’s constitutional court rules today that the EU treaty of Lisbon is not in conflict with the German constitution. However, the high court also ruled that any transfer of sovereignty from Berlin to Brussels must be approved by the Bundestag. Read more »
July 12, 2009: After challenges earlier this year by the Chinese and Russians to the dollar’s position as the main currency for international trade, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev continues his call for a replacement currency at the G8 summit meeting in Italy. Read more »
July 27, 2009: Just before the start of the G8 summit meeting in Italy in July 2009, the Vatican released the third encyclical published by Pope Benedict XVI. The pope called for a "new world political authority." The Bible shows a world authority will come! Read more »
August 17, 2009: With the number of Muslims in Germany numbering some four million (about five percent of Germany's population), it is no surprise that the number of mosques has increased in recent years. The question now is: "How big should Muslim mosques be?" Read more »
September 17, 2009: The 50th anniversary of the NATO alliance in 1999 was a celebration of the successful defense of the free world during the Cold War. Just ten years later there are signs of serious trouble within the alliance. Will NATO survive the next ten years? Read more »
September 30, 2009: One day after his party achieved its goal of replacing Germany’s grand coalition government, Guido Westerwelle appeared to offend a British journalist by refusing to answer a question in English. Is this new nationalism or normal assertiveness? Read more »
October 20, 2009: Pope Benedict has approved a document outlining a process for disaffected Anglicans to convert to Catholicism. The surprise move confirms what some observers see as the meaning of the ecumenical movement as far as the Roman Catholic church is concerned. Read more »
November 4, 2009: A European Court of Human Rights has banned the display of crucifixes in Italian public classrooms. Some Catholics now wonder why Muslim religious symbols are not banned. At its core, the debate centers on Europe’s religious identity and heritage. Read more »
December 1, 2009: The German Constitutional Court has upheld the "store closing law" and its special protection of Sunday as a work-free day. The court sided with the Lutheran and Catholic churches, which had challenged a liberalization on the ban in Berlin. Read more »
December 21, 2009: After a referendum in Ireland and court cases in Germany and the Czech Republic, the EU treaty of Lisbon went into effect this month. It provides a streamlined process for EU decision-making after 2014. Will it also enable a "two-speed" Europe? Read more »
