Europe
The Christian Science Monitor: Is Europe really on the brink? ‘Europe’s biggest crisis in the postwar era is not just about the economy. It’s about a search for identity – and a rationale for staying unified. In America, the crisis is largely viewed as an economic story channeled through CNBC and Bloomberg – as some kind of euro mismanagement recorded on graphs and stock tickers. But the problem runs far deeper. It cuts to the core of what Europe may or may not become. It is a crisis of identity and politics with social fallout and, what scares many, an element of that old unknown: unintended consequences. Extremist political parties are rising. Taxpayers are revolting in the north about bailing out the south. For the far left, “Europe” has become a protectionist zone for bankers and the moneyed class. For the far right, Europe is too tolerant of Muslims, Islam, and immigrants.’
Finland
The Star: Finnish eurosceptics gain local seats but lose momentum. ‘The anti-euro Finns Party won 12.3 percent of votes in Finnish municipal polls on Sunday, showing its popularity down from last year’s national election while still strong enough to pressure the pro-Europe government. The vote for the Finns Party was higher than the 5 percent it won in 2008 local elections but a disappointment for leader Timo Soini whose fiery anti-euro rhetoric struck a chord with voters in last year’s general elections, helping it secure 19 percent of votes.’
France
Al Jazeera: France arrests ‘top ETA leader’. ‘French police have arrested a top leader of the Basque separatist group ETA in eastern France, the Spanish interior ministry says. Izaskun Lesaka, the “most experienced of the three main leaders” of the banned organisation, was arrested during a raid by an elite French police unit at a hotel in the town of Macon, near the city of Lyon, a ministry statement said on Sunday. She was arrested with a man, also described as an ETA member, who the statement and a French source identified as Joseba Iturbide. Both of them were allegedly in possession of weapons.’
Italy
Bloomberg: Anti-Monti 5 Star Set to Be Sicily’s Third-Biggest Party. ‘Italy’s anti-austerity movement polled first in Sicilian regional elections that were marked by low turnout and the threat of gridlock as no political coalition won an outright parliamentary majority. In a vote that could serve as a barometer for the national elections due by May, Beppe Grillo’s 5 Star Movement got 14.8 percent, according to data from over 80 percent of polling stations posted on the region’s website today. That makes it the biggest political force in Sicily, though its candidate for governor was running third. The Democratic Party, or PD, received 13.4 percent of the vote and former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Liberty got 12.2 percent.’
Norway
Comment – Combating Terrorism Center: A Post-Trial Profile of Anders Behring Breivik. ‘On July 22, 2011, Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik detonated a 2,100-pound bomb in the Norwegian Government Quarter in the heart of Oslo, killing eight people, before shooting and killing 69 people at Utøya, a small island 25 miles from the capital. After a trial that began in April 2012, Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison after a court declared he was “criminally sane” and guilty on August 24. The judicial process produced a wealth of new information about the man behind the worst atrocities in Norway since World War II and supports four key conclusions.’
Spain
The Wall Street Journal: Europe’s Crisis Spawns Calls for a Breakup—of Spain. ‘This vibrant northern region of Catalonia has long been known as the “factory of Spain” for generating wealth that helped sustain the entire nation. Now Catalonia, beaten down by years of recession, has become the battleground in what threatens to become an economic civil war. In protests large and small, hundreds of thousands of Catalans are embracing a stark proposition: Only by breaking ties with Spain and becoming an independent country can Catalonia free itself from economic malaise.’
