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Panagiotis Kakolyris

Safeguarding the algorithm of democracy

Even though the decision by the main social media platforms to silence Donald Trump was a relief for many, it was also a source of concern and scepticism. The fact that a CEO had the unquestionable power to block the sitting President of the second largest democracy in the world, a nuclear superpower, shortly after […]

21 January 2021

Eoin Drea

Ireland is About to Get a Whole Lot More British

Who knew that the negative impacts of Brexit could be so easily mitigated by Ireland? After years of conjuring up vistas of hard borders and economic wastelands, Dublin now seems ready, willing, and able to embark on a beautiful European dream. But such views bely a worrying naivety about Ireland’s real economic and cultural dependencies.   […]

20 January 2021

Mikuláš Dzurinda

The Reasons Behind Navalny’s Return

Among those who remember their experience under communist, totalitarian regimes who imprisoned and sometimes killed freedom fighters, some are now asking: why did Navalny return to Russia? Doesn’t he know what happened to Kasparov, Khodorkovsky and other exiles? The fate of Nemtsov and Politkovskaya? Or has he already forgotten what he recently experienced while returning […]

18 January 2021

Dimitar Lilkov

China’s Digital Currency: Mao Would be Proud

You’ve got to hand it to the Chinese authorities – there`s never a dull moment. In late 2020, a lottery was organised in the city of Suzhou for the allocation of thousands of online wallets, each containing 200 digital yuan (25 euro). The lottery was one of the many pilot experiments organised by the People’s […]

14 January 2021

Dalibor Roháč

American Democracy at a Crossroads: a Time for Healing

Last week’s scenes at the U.S. Capitol sent shockwaves across the world, delighting America’s adversaries and bringing sorrow to those who normally look up to the majesty of American democracy. The rioting and vandalism in the halls of Congress was a shock to Americans, too. Even President Trump, who incited the mob earlier that day, […]

11 January 2021

Mikuláš Dzurinda

USA – Catharsis, or Beginning of the End?

The events that occurred in and around the Capitol on the day of the Epiphany are appalling, revolting, and unacceptable to normal and responsible people. This was the feeling that was reflected in the statements made by various Congresspeople, both direct, imperilled participants of the drama, and former Members of Congress. By common accord, politicians […]

08 January 2021

Mark Strand

Congress and the U.S. Constitution Exhibited Strenght Amid Crisis

The riot at the U.S. Capitol was a stress test for our democracy. It is outrageous and inexcusable. But, despite President Trump encouraging a frenzied crowd that went on to storm the U.S. Capitol, the very symbol of our democracy, our system of checks and balances held up remarkably well – and mostly because Republican […]

07 January 2021

Roland Freudenstein

A Day of Infamy for the West – But a Bright Light at the End of the Tunnel

The images of alt-right rioters breaking into the Capitol, of Congresspeople rushed to safety like on 9/11, of weapons drawn and people killed in the heart of American democracy (and a beacon of the Free World), will remain with us for a long time. They certainly will be the defining visual memory of Donald Trump’s […]

07 January 2021

Eoin Drea

American Dreams now risk Ireland’s European Future

And so it begins again. The murals, the tales of famine ships and Irish ancestry, the cousins and those awkward renaming ceremonies played out live on Irish TV. President-elect Biden will appoint a high-profile ambassador to Ireland, bowls of shamrock will be exchanged at the White House, and the razzmatazz of a Presidential visit will […]

15 December 2020

Álvaro de la Cruz

From Goliath to David?

Advent has commenced; the historically black year of 2020 is coming to an end; winter is coming. Change in the EU Council is also on the horizon: very soon, the strong, conservative leadership of Germany and Chancellor Merkel will be in the EU’s archives, and a very different country, with a very different government, will […]

14 December 2020

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Hi, we are the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, the official think tank of the European People’s Party.
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