LONDON Sixty-five years ago, what has become the European Union was an embryo conceived in fear. It has been stealthily advanced from an economic to a political project, and it remains enveloped in a watery utopianism even as it becomes more dystopian. The EU’s economic stagnation — in some of the 28 member nations, youth unemployment approaches 50 percent …

  The decision reached on Wednesday by Eurozone finance ministers to start debt relief for Athens is a sigh of relief for Greeks who have been reeling under austerity measures. The deal will see unlocking of 10.3 billion euros ($12 billion) in bailout cash. The pact also met the condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which stipulated that easing …

Catherine Putz On Saturday, while Kazakh police were rounding up potential protesters near the Baiterek monument, Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov was meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. That the protests were linked to simmering frustrations about changes to the Land Code that rumor said could lead to the Chinese purchase of Kazakh land is a coincidence–but one that highlights …