Even Before Terror Struck, Brussels Was Under Attack

Austerity Cuts Launched My City's Descent Into a Constant State of Emergency

I am not a citizen of Belgium; I carry a French passport. But I am a citizen of Brussels, the most international of European cities.

This is first a matter of migration: Several waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th century—first from France, Italy, and Portugal, and then from Morocco, the Congo Republic, and Algeria—have shaped the population. It is secondly a matter of structure, since Brussels and the Capital Region stand apart by design from the other parts of Belgium, which is a federal constitutional monarchy. (Yes, Belgium …

A Mass Murderer Is Testing the Limits of Scandinavian Goodwill

Norway’s Most Dangerous Man Is Back in the Spotlight, Leading Many to Wonder How Much Compassion He Deserves

For four days in March, I watched Norway’s national devil return to public view, in another installment of the courtroom drama familiarly titled Breivik v. State. Andres Behring Breivik, now …

My Transnational Son Has a Passport to Optimism

As Europeans Agonize Over Birth Rates and Migrants, Bicultural Kids Like Mine Will Dispel the Continent’s Paranoia

A couple of weeks ago, my 3-year-old son, Max, agreed to let me take him to school by bicycle. This was momentous because recently he’s been insisting that we are …

The U.K. Has Already Opted Out of the ‘Ever Closer Union’ With Europe

But the British May Yet Remain in an EU That Is More Democratic and Stops Obsessing About the Single Currency

On June 23, British citizens will be asked, “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

On the surface, this would seem to …

‘Brexit’ Is a Losing Game

Beyond Global Influence, National Security, and Economic Opportunity, the United Kingdom Would Lose Its Ability to Look Beyond Itself

In 1975, the United Kingdom voted on quitting Europe for the first time—just two years after it had joined the European Economic Community. A flip in power from the pro-European …

The Referendum That Won’t Make Great Britain Great Again

Angry Populists Think Quitting the EU Will Put the British People Back in Charge. If They Win the Vote, They’ll Be Sorely Disappointed.

In the winter of 1950, a young parliamentary candidate by the name of Margaret H. Roberts made a big promise to her would-be voters. Her country, the 24-year old political …