Category Archives: European Union

France Loses AAA Credit Rating

Posted on January 14, 2012 by briansandberg

France has lost its AAA credit rating as Standard & Poor’s cut its rating a notch to AA+. Eleanor Beardsley of NPR reports that “Standard & Poor’s downgraded the sovereign debt of France, Italy, Spain and six other European countries … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Political Culture | Leave a comment

No al Razzismo!

Posted on December 15, 2011 by briansandberg

Banners reading “No al Razzismo!” and “Il Razzismo Uccide!” have filled piazzas and adorned buildings in Firenze (Florence) following a shooting rampage by Gianluca Casseri on Tuesday. Casseri, a middle-aged Italian man who had ties to neo-fascist groups, killed two … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms Control, European Union, History of Violence, Italian History | Leave a comment

Grenade Attack in Liège and Shooting in Firenze

Posted on December 13, 2011 by briansandberg

A young Belgian man attacked a crowd in the city of Liège today, firing shots and throwing multiple grenades at people in the central square in downtown Liège. Several people were killed and scores injured in this attack before the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms Control, European Union, History of Violence, Italian History | Leave a comment

Addio Berlusconi!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by briansandberg

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned over the weekend, in the midst of a major debt crisis in Italy. Rising interest rates and a market downturn finally forced Berlusconi to step down after passing austerity measures. La Repubblica, Corriere della … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, Italian History | Leave a comment

Italian Neo-Fascism and the Veneration of Il Duce

Posted on November 2, 2011 by briansandberg

Neo-Fascism is alive and well in modern Italy, where a range of extremist groups and political parties celebrate the fascist history of Italy. Frequent commemorations of the death of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who is venerated as “Il Duce”, … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, History of Violence, Italian History, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

What’s a Poor French Noble to Do?

Posted on October 6, 2011 by briansandberg

Poor nobles apparently abound in today’s France. There are still many nobles living in 21st-century France, and supposedly a number of them have fallen on hard times. Luckily for these poor nobles there is a charitable association, the Association d’Entreaide … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, European History, European Union, French History, Languedoc and Southern France, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Political Culture | 1 Comment

Extremism in Europe

Posted on July 26, 2011 by briansandberg

The attacks in Norway have raised awareness of the threat posed by far-right extremist groups in Scandinavia and across Europe. Details are still emerging about the Norway attacks, but already Norwegians are reexamining their political culture, social structures, and laws.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, European Union, History of Violence, Religious Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment

Remembering Victims of Norway Attacks

Posted on July 24, 2011 by briansandberg

At least 92 people are dead and another 90 wounded from the bombing and shooting rampage in Norway on Friday 22 July. As a historian who studies the dynamics of violence, I want to remember the victims of the Norway … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, History of Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment

Berlusconi’s Bad Week

Posted on July 9, 2011 by briansandberg

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is having a bad week. Berlusconi announced earlier this week that he would not run for re-election, although some observers see this simply as a political maneuver. Now, Berlusconi’s company Fininvest has lost a legal … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, Italian History | Leave a comment

Case Against DSK May Collapse

Posted on July 1, 2011 by briansandberg

The case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn now appears close to collapse, after prosecutors discovered serious credibility problems with the testimony of the housekeeper who accused him of sexual assault.  The New York Times reports on the developments in the case and … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Human Rights, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment