The Shock of America
Europe and the Challenge of the Century
David Ellwood
From Our Blog
By David Ellwood 'The Americanisation of British politics has been striking this conference season,' declared The Economist last autumn. 'British politicians and civil servants love freebies to the US 'to see how they do things,'' reported Simon Jenkins in The Guardian in November.
Posted on March 15, 2014
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By David Ellwood As the use of military force to resolve disputes between nations becomes less plausible in most regions of the world, the struggle for influence intensifies.
Posted on January 9, 2014
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By David Ellwood Is French culture exceptional, exceptionalist, or just... unique ? The question was raised again this year by the row which broke out just before the start of US-EU trade talks. The French government insisted that cultural products, particularly film and television, should be left out of the negotiations due to their special status as timeless acts of artistic creation.
Posted on September 25, 2013
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By David Ellwood In January 2013 the Daily Telegraph ran a story on the refusal of the inhabitants of the famed old neighbourhood of Montmartre, in Paris, to accept the arrival in their midst for the first time of a Starbucks coffee shop. The Paris Pride heritage association denounced this "attack on the place's soul." A resident said "we must do everything to stop this disfiguring, as it opens the door to any old rubbish."
Posted on April 4, 2013
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By David Ellwood At first sight it looked like an incongruous debate for Edinburgh. The only debate dedicated to Europe included three unusual debaters. How to reconcile such different impulses and points of view?
Posted on August 23, 2012
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