antoniacolibasanu

About Antonia Colibasanu

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So far Antonia Colibasanu has created 28 blog entries.

Italian Elections: a Wakeup Call for the Eurozone?

This week Beppe Grillo, the leader of the Five Star Movement, became an international media phenomenon. The movement led by this comedian-turned-politician won more than 8 million votes in the Italian elections of 24 and 25 February, becoming the third largest political force in Italy and the single most popular force for the Chamber of Deputies. Grillo’s success poses questions about the political system in Europe, because his popularity is rooted in the increasing dissatisfaction with his country’s political status quo — a sentiment found in many other EU member countries under economic pressure. Much has been written about Grillo in the last few days, and with a good reason. To [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:46+02:00March 25th, 2013|Antonia Colibasanu., Blogs|0 Comments

World Powers Restrained on Gaza Conflict, as Iran Benefits Most

As fighting in Gaza continues, reactions from major world powers have little to do with mediation – all while Iran seems to be benefiting the most from the current escalation. From Washington to Moscow, everyone was counting on Egyptian diplomacy to end the current bout. China remains ‘concerned’ about the developments and many are stressing, yet again,  the need of resolving the Middle East conflict. E.U. foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has urged Israel to respond ‘proportionately’ in Gaza, reiterating the ‘caution’ expressed earlier at the European foreign and defense ministers meeting in Paris on November 15. Today, all of Europe seems to be preparing for the weekend after agreeing [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:46+02:00March 25th, 2013|Antonia Colibasanu., Blogs|0 Comments

The Fate of the European Model?

I have always found it strange when others say Europeans are pessimistic about their own fate and that, from outside, Europe is seen in a much better position, especially when discussing the current economic crisis. This is due to my personal experience so far. I have to admit that when I talk about the problems of the European Union, I have often met resistance from Europeans. They assure me that the union will find its way out of the crisis and will emerge even stronger than it is today. I fail to understand how the European approach to problem-solving, which generally involves numerous high-level meetings that fail to achieve the desired [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:46+02:00March 25th, 2013|Antonia Colibasanu., Blogs|0 Comments

Economic crisis, fears and fragmentation in Europe

Over the weekend, we saw protests against austerity across Spain. This comes after a report last week that the number of unemployed people in Spain surpassed 5 million. Also during the last week, large protests occurred in Portugal, another European country strongly hit by the economic crisis. However, Portugal has been the favorite of the troika, because the Passos Coelho government applied austerity during a relatively stable political situation, with the opposition unpopular and the unions split. But the Portuguese people, tired of austerity, are now openly demanding that the government step down. After the protests, Portuguese President Anibal Cayaco Silva — though he was probably aware that he is [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:47+02:00March 13th, 2013|Antonia Colibasanu., Blogs|0 Comments
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