Its Reluctance Notwithstanding, Britain Is a Part of Europe

The Island's History and Destiny Are Tethered to the Continent, but It Still Fights for Its Sense of Exceptionalism

The cars zipping unexpectedly by from right to left as you try to cross the street can be jarring for an American newly arrived in Britain. But it’s nowhere near as disorienting as hearing the locals talk about “Europe” as being somewhere else. It begs the existentialist question: If I’m not in Europe, where exactly have I landed?

Indeed, that same question has haunted British and European history for more than a millennium. On the one hand, Shakespeare’s “precious stone set in a silver sea,” is an island apart. It has …

The British Are Anchored by an Islander Mentality

Unlike Mainland Europeans, My Country Can't Just Imagine Its Borders Away

“You’re abroad then?”
“Well I’m in Berlin. I’m an hour and a half away.”
“We can’t put you up for a job when you’re abroad.”
“What if I was in …

A Yes Vote on ‘Brexit’ Would Launch a Gripping Melodrama

If Britons Choose to Abandon the EU, the Political and Economic Break Will Be Anything but Clean

The shorthand term “Brexit” is a snappy, media-friendly term suggesting a potentially abrupt historical moment, a milestone break with one reality and embrace of another. But the truth is …

Yes, I’m Muslim—and German

Europe's Largest Nation Integrates Immigrants With High Ideals and Everyday Discrimination

Wars across Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have sent millions of refugees fleeing to Europe in recent years, the majority of them Muslims. How to integrate these refugees into liberal (but …

Europe Has a Problem With Immigrants, Not With Islam

Reforming Schools and Labor Laws Would Help a Lot More Than Fixating on Religion

In Germany last month, the debate over Europe’s growing Muslim population reached a fever pitch. More than 100 robberies and sexual assaults were reported in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, …

Why Cologne Will Keep Welcoming Refugees

The Assaults on New Year’s Eve Have Made My Hometown Anxious About Safety, but I Worry More About Our Sanity

The pastry shop Cup Cakes Cologne has put two fancy cakes in its shop window. One cake shows German chancellor Angela Merkel in the style of a red angel. The …