From Axess, a special issue on German dreams. From Renewal, Al Coffee on Philip Pettit, republican theory and Spanish social democracy; and Katrine Kielos on the flight of the Swedish bumblebee. An article on Albania, Europe's problematic child. A review of The Portuguese Revolution: State and Class in the Transition to Democracy by Ronald H. Chilcote. Atlas Obscura profiles Petite Ceinture, the abandoned railway line circling the city of Paris. Romania's president wants to increase his country's population and is using an odd means to do so — the country is generously bestowing hundreds of thousands of Romanian passports on impoverished Moldovans. Boom and bust: Can the Baltic economies adjust and grow? Stories about the Roma portray them as either criminals or helpless victims — why does no one wonder who these people are and why they are one of the most hated peoples in Europe. Is Italy too Italian? From taxis to textiles, Italy chooses tradition over growth. A banker's betrayal: UBS insider Bradley Birkenfeld blows the whistle on Swiss banking (in 5 parts). The European Union renders some nations useless — in other words, what's the point of Belgium? Austrian far-right populist Jorg Haider is once again dominating headlines in the country; did he have secret accounts worth 45 million euros? If so, did the money come from Saddam Hussein? A mysterious diary may provide the answers.
