Making Europe more democratic will also make it too powerful

Article Abstract:

It remains uncertain whether the current crisis in the European Commission will really lead to significant changes in Europe. The familiar negotiations taking place to select the new European Commission Pres make it seem like nothing has really changed very much. However, it is possible that opinion will shift towards making the European Commission more accountable, perhaps through a system in which senior ministers for Europe from each member state report directly to their government leader and bear the responsibility for sustaining the authority of the European Council.

European Union, European Community, European Union. European Commission, Powers and duties

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There will be plenty of wrangling, but don't call this deal shoddy

Article Abstract:

It appears that some of the publicity surrounding Nato's recent agreement with Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic may have been premature. It is not really possible to feel victorious until the Serb forces actually leave Kosovo, Yugoslavia, and possibly not until the return of the ethnic Albanians who were forced to leave Kosovo. The significant challenges encountered in negotiations between Serb and Nato generals have highlighted the fact that this is a very undesirable outcome, both for Milosevic's generals and for Milosevic himself.

Civil Conflict, National Security, Yugoslavia, Military Assistance, Intnl Diplomacy, International relations, Military aspects, Civil war, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kosovo, Foreign military assistance, Diplomacy, Yugoslavian foreign relations

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Unlock the secret services - the key is transparency

Article Abstract:

The UK's intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, are funded by the taxpayer but are almost completely unaccountable to the general public. It is not possible to argue that these agencies should be disbanded, but there is certainly an argument in favour of subjecting them to more scrutiny. There is great secrecy surrounding how the security services allocate their resources, and this makes it impossible to assess whether they are adequately fulfilling their responsibilities.

Covert Operations, Finance, Secret service, United Kingdom. Secret Intelligence Service, United Kingdom. Security Service

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