Welcome to the Birthplace of Trumpism

by John Feffer He was a rich businessman, an outspoken outsider with a love of conspiracy theories. And he was a populist running for president. In 1990, when Donald Trump was still beyond the furthest outskirts of American politics, Stanislaw… Continue Reading

Europe: The Right Also Rises

by John Feffer Germany got its very own electoral shock this week when the far right won 13 percent of the vote in country’s parliamentary elections. For the first time in more than half a century, the far right will… Continue Reading

EU: Can Smaller Be Better?

by Robert E. Hunter When the British electorate decided to leave the European Union, one of the first questions posed on the continent was “Who’s next?” The fear was of contagion, a piece-by-piece unravelling of the European project: first Schengen… Continue Reading

Recess Appointments and The Politics of Diplomacy

All four of the ambassadors who received recess appointments from President Obama were considered fully qualified by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who approved their nominations and sent them to the full Senate for confirmation. All have been kept from taking up their diplomatic posts on by unilateral actions on the part of one or two senators, who prevented their appointments from reaching the Senate floor for the votes that almost certainly would have confirmed them. Continue Reading