French politics is a fascinating process for outside observers. This year’s elections in France will set new standards for citizens’ rights and democracy. The season has already brought real and festering issues to the forefront of public discussion. Debates surrounding this election began two years ago, when Paris erupted in ethnic riots and Nicolas Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, quipped about summarily deporting “scum” in France back “home” to Africa.

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The Prime Minister of Britain has finally resigned his leadership of the Labour Party. Over the last 10 years, he has managed to present himself as a flexible politician while choosing politics over policy.

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The Current Discussion: After Ireland voted down EU reforms last week, we're left wondering: Is the EU unraveling?

The question is an emotional exaggeration. It is not logical to banish more than six decades of convergence and nurtured commonalities just because less than one percent of all EU citizens have voted against an admittedly very complex treaty of 300 pages and very technical language. Alas, Ireland owes its development of the last two decades to the EU and its generous grants, soft loans and funding that frames the remarkable transformation of that island nation over the last two decades.

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