EUs største utfordring? Det er ikke brexit, det er ikke populisme, det er ikke engang flyktningkrisen. EUs største problem er at unionen er så vanskelig å like. Publisert i Europeisk Politikk Oktober 21, 2019 «Politikere kan ikke skape sitt eget politiske klima», sa Tony Blairs spindoktor Alastair Campbell da han besøkte Norge. Og han hadde […]
EU à la carte is back on the menu.
Published in the International Guardian 12.09-2015 The ongoing refugee crisis is draining mutual trust; the source of EU strength. Suspicions fester, making it harder to arrive at common solutions, even than at the height of the euro crisis. Across Europe, politicians are growing increasingly hesitant to cede new powers to Brussels. One reason is that […]
What ails Europe?
A region likely to underperform in the medium to long term. Published in The European Spectator, March 23 2012 Amidst the first green shoots of an American economic recovery Europe is finding it harder to break out of the slump. The region has a growth problem. A computer metaphor may help illustrate. Most people have, […]
Iran’s willingness to confront US and Israel points to its potential to be Mideast’s new leading power
January 2 2007 The Financial Times From Dr Asle Toje. Sir, David Gardner is correct in his end-of-year prediction that the chances of American military action against the Iranian nuclear programme are waning (“US stays out of Iran . . .”, December 29). But if we couple this assessment with another key prediction for the […]
If Nato fails, so too does Europe on security
By Benjamin Schreer and Asle Toje Published in The Financial Times March 11 2008 Nato’s struggle preoccupies European strategic debate. Nato is fighting an uphill battle to maintain alliance cohesion in the face of a growing Afghan insurgency. Further, allies cannot agree on other strategic issues, including that of Nato’s future global role. If the Afghan mission […]
Farcical, indeed.
Dominic Green’s essay (January 9, 2021) on Unni Turrettini’s new book “The farce of the Nobel Peace Prize” is riddled with factual errors. It is claimed that “the idea was founded in 1900”. The Nobel Peace Prize, however, was instituted in Alfred Nobel’s will of 1895. The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901. […]