Spain’s Growing Catalan Conundrum

While Catalan nationalists have temporarily been denied a clear figurehead to drive their cause boldly forward, the wind is not entirely out of their sails.

Youths, Immigrants, and Outsiders are Southern Europe’s Best Hopes

Unemployed youth, immigrants, and societies that are either outside the EU should be at the front of a strategy for Southern Europe’s renaissance. These groups have the motivation to innovate and create new opportunities for growth in the region.

As Spain Protests Austerity, Catalonia Pushes for Independence

As workers from throughout the country converge on Madrid for protests, a second, altogether different movement is gathering strength in Catalonia.

Labor Pains: Why the Transatlantic Jobs Crisis is Worse than it Appears

Two recent official reports have dampened the economic mood on both sides of the Atlantic: U.S. Department of Labor data shows the U.S. job market is slowing down, while the European Commission’s spring economic outlook predicts rising unemployment.

Why Mexico has not yet have its Arab spring?

The terrible state that Mexico stands currently, deserves, without any doubt a peaceful social uprising, not just because of the violence that has stirred up since president Calderon launched the war on drugs on December of 2006...

Spain fail to get us on our feet

So are you still watching? It's fair to say that the neutrals (excluding Switzerland for once) wanted Spain not just to win, but to win well. This has been a World Cup that, thus far, has been lacking in world-class play. It comes to something when Germany - efficient, mechanical old Germany - are considered the flair team of the tournament.

 

The obvious answer is that managers have learnt their lessons from mistakes by their predecessors. Avoiding defeat in their first match has become their priority. As Arsene Wenger put it this week: "In the first round teams play more not to lose than to win. The games are quite locked tactically with very few chances and very few have had a go. The pressure of the World Cup is so intense nobody wants to lose that first game."