Police intimidation in the US has escalated under Trump

Voices When media and journalists are verbally threatened with intimidation and bullying by the leader of the country, the end result is violence and intimidation of journalists attempting to challenge that leader's decisions on the streets On behalf of the Association of Foreign Correspondents here in the US, I want to express my solidarity with Andrew Buncombe, Chief US correspondent of The Independent, who fell victim to unjust and blind police violence.

A Deadly Year for Journalists as Risk Shifts to the West

A Slovak journalist and his fiancée are shot dead in their home. A gunman storms a Maryland newsroom in a targeted attack on the staff. A writer walks into the Saudi Consulate in Turkey - and never walks out.

UN Correspondents Association: Shining a Light on Global Issues

At a time when the credibility and influence wielded by the fourth estate have been questioned by those in power, the mission of organizations like the United Nations Correspondents Association, which fosters good relations with reporters and members of diplomatic delegations, is especially vital.

Tectonic Plates Have Shifted in the Eurozone

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to the EU commissioner for economic and financial affairs, taxation and customs, Pierre Moscovici. President Donald Trump's election marked a new turn in US-EU relations. It is an environment dominated by tension, mutual suspicion and the questioning of historic ties between the two counterparts, such as in the field of trade.

Eurozone's Economic Prospects Still in Question

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, stressed the importance for all eurozone countries - Greece first and foremost - to implement reforms that will bring back the prospect of sustainable growth, with lower rates of unemployment and higher competitiveness for European economies.

What Went Wrong in Syria?

Robert Ford served as the US ambassador to Syria between 2011 and 2014, an appointee of the Obama administration. Ford was criticized for his belief that working with the Syrian rebels would help US efforts to get rid of Assad.

For the United Nations, Multilateralism Is the Way Forward

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the president of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations. The United Nations is often criticized for bureaucratic inefficiency, with its more passionate critics disparaging the organization's "uselessness."

Lessons in Diplomacy: We Need Our Friends and Allies

President Donald Trump's "America First" policy has been met with criticism both at home and abroad, not only for its perceived protectionism on economic issues, but also for heralding a new era of American isolationism in international affairs. The US has stepped back from multilateral accords like the Paris Climate Agreement and announced a $285-million funding cut to the UN budget.

Global Economy: What to Expect in 2018

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to the executive managing director of the Institute of International Finance, Hung Tran. With President Donald Trump's threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) still on course, key industry groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce have expressed their opposition and warned that the move would be bad for business.

Europe: The Only Way Is Forward and Together

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to the EU commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Dimitris Avramopoulos was meant to handle one of the biggest humanitarian challenges in the European Union's history: the refugee crisis.

Will Donald Trump Win in 2020?

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to Anthony Scaramucci, founder of Skybridge Capital and former White House communications director. The midterm elections have largely been seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump 's policies, but the "blue wave" Democrats had envisioned did not materialize.

Eurozone: Optimism Is Warranted

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to the senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Jacob Funk Kirkegaard. Is 2018 going to be the year the eurozone finally leaves behind nearly a decade of financial and political instability? Projections in answer to this question are contradictory.

What Does the Future Hold for Trumponomics?

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to the economist and resident fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, Desmond Lachman. With President Donald Trump having completed his first year in the Oval Office, the discussion on what his administration managed to achieve when it comes to the country's economy remains heated.

UN: Global Solutions to Global Problems

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to Brenden Varma, the spokesperson for the president of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák. According to critics, the United Nations has largely failed to maintain international peace and security, promote self-determination and fundamental human rights, and protect fundamental freedoms. The UN has also been accused of having undermined its own goals with negligent interventions.

The challenges of the Brussels bombings

Last week's attacks on Brussels exacerbate already existing tensions over freedom of movement and deepening integration. Thanos Dimadis contends that we should think twice before giving in to our fears. Thanos Dimadis is a news correspondent in Washington DC for the biggest media organization in Greece, ALPHA TV.

The Trump Victory and the New Media and Polls Debacle

The election of Donald Trump: 1. MARKS a new second consecutive mess of the mass media, polls and various economic and political opinion leaders, who, as in Brexit, dashed and failed to reflect, detect, predict and convey the hidden processes actually taking place within the body, such as the UK / Europe, and so the US society.

The hidden IMF-EU controversy about GREXIT

In a conversation we had before a broadcast interview in 2012, the chief of the IMF's mission in Athens and current head of the Fund's European department, Poul Thomsen, acknowledged that Greece's financial rescue plan was an experiment carrying a high risk of failure.

UN: Global Solutions to Global Problems

In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to Brenden Varma, the spokesperson for the president of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák. According to critics, the United Nations has largely failed to maintain international peace and security, promote self-determination and fundamental human rights, and protect fundamental freedoms. The UN has also been accused of having undermined its own goals with negligent interventions.

Syriza's First 'Defeat' -- What Does It Mean?

What has been deployed over the last few of weeks, since the new elected Greek government unleashed its efforts to convince some of its European partners to align with it against the austerity oriented and Germany driven policies in Europe, is a game of power directly connected with the question of who finally has the upper hand in dictating the decisions in the Union.

Greek Crisis Is Burdened by Lack of Political Consent

Two of the "P.I.G.S." group members, Spain and Portugal, seem to have a strong likelihood of avoiding any kind of European and IMF external funding assistance, through the same mechanism imposed in Greece and Ireland in exchange for the implementation of a tough austerity measures program.

The American Guidance Europe Needs

The U.S. president's reelection in November seems to be more and more uncertain as the financial storm in Europe continues to devastate people's and the markets' hopes that European leaders will finally find a way to put an end to the current eurozone drama. Although the constant calls made from U.S.

From "Yes to Europe" to "Shame on Europe"

(Photo credits: REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis) It's been almost less than one year ago when Greece holds a referendum the essential question of which was whether or not the Greek people want Greece to stay in the Europe by keeping being a member of the euro currency.

Will President Trump Force Greece Out of the Eurozone? | USA.GreekReporter.com

Trump's presidency is likely to face its first Eurozone test within a few months with an imminent default by Greece on its outstanding obligations. But unlike President Obama, Trump seems to have no plan on how to control the current financial turmoil, which could prove more severe than in 2010-11, when several European economies were deemed unreliable by the financial markets.

The "Dictatorship of the Elites" in Greece

One of the major mistakes that international and European observers often make in their analyses about Greece is that they focus way too much on the problem rather than the roots of it. The nature of these roots is much more political rather than an economic one.

Is Greece Europe's Core Problem?

While the European project is struggling to remain afloat through the destructive, vicious circle of austerity and dogmatic monetary policy choices that have been made over the last five years in the euro zone, the United States seems to be overcoming the crisis started in 2008 by following the opposite approach from Europe.

Greeks, a Nation Hating Itself

In a few days, my flight is scheduled to return to Greece. It'll be a short trip for a couple of weeks to see my relatives and friends there that I haven't seen since last November. It was then that I decided to leave my homeland in Athens for a second time in my recent life and to relocate back to the US.

Europe's Way to Destruction (?)

Having recently had a most interesting interview with the European Commission's president, José Manuel Barroso, I realized how much Europe struggles to tackle contradictory interests and views in a unified framework of solidarity among European members' states. What I noticed then was that the word "solidarity" was mentioned several times by Barroso while we were sitting across from each other.

Why Early Elections Aren't a Risk for Greece

Since 2010, when it was excluded from the markets, Greece has lost most of its sovereignty by surrendering unconditionally to its lenders the power of taking important decisions about its future. As a result, the Greek governments, including the current one, became accountable not to the people that they were voted in by, but to European and international lenders represented by the so called "Troika" mission in the country.

Greece: "to euro or not to euro"?

Greece was the first to be subjected to this type of experiment, consisting of lending the country huge amounts of money which were used to rescue the German and French banks instead of helping to salvage the shaky economy.

Rebuilding Greece

Everything has to do with politics. Every country is governed by politicians; any economy runs based on political decisions; our own future is defined by the choices of those leaders who we have elected. As I have pointed out in the past, the crisis that Greece is experiencing today is ultimately a political one and not just a pure financial crisis.

Euro or Drachma? It's Not All About a Dilemma

Those not being familiar with the new emerging reality in Greece should know that it is a country within which currently one in two young people are jobless, the recession overcomes the 5 percent as a percentage of the GDP and many employees are being forced to work for a salary of 300 or 400 euros per month.

The Humiliating Cost of Progress in Greece

Last week, Greece's European neighbors and the IMF made their decision which has been breathlessly anticipated by the Greek people living with the looming specter of a national economic crisis. According to this decision, Greece will be supported with a new rescue package of 130 billion euros that buys the nation time to comply with the demands of its Eurozone partners.

Should Greece Get a Second Bailout?

Certain analysts have claimed that Greece does not deserve the new financial support provided by its European partners and the International Monetary Fund. Some say that the country has not done as much as it had to do in terms of reducing the deficit, putting its fiscal house in order and becoming more competitive.

Thousands of Splayed Hands of "Indignant Greeks" Target the Parliament

Thousands of indignant Greek people, surrounding all these days the heart of Athens and many other cities in Greece, have combined their voices with millions of other citizens of European countries who are protesting throughout Europe against the current economic meltdown, the increasing unemployment and the bad prospects for their future.

Can Lagarde Make It? Yes, of Course

Christine Lagarde's appearance in her first press briefing as the new IMF head created reasonably high expectations about the new promising prospects she opens for the requisite restoration of the organization's image. The unprecedented arrest of Dominique Strauss Kahn deprived IMF's staff of his beneficial ability to lead the Fund coherently and collectively.

The Unpunished Politicians and the Eroded Democracy of Greece

Although ancient Greece is considered to have transmitted the light and ideas of democracy throughout the world, nowadays modern Greece seems to lack a real Democracy, a fact that makes Greek people feel even more frustrated. The current economic crisis hitting Greece is only one incidental reason for the general mood of depression that shadows the country at this moment.

Papandreou's epic battle | Thanos Dimadis

he Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, currently faces the biggest challenge of his political life. For those who know him, he is a politician who has learned to take risks. His most recent success was remaining leader of his Panhellenic Socialist party (Pasok) in November 2007 after being challenged by Evangelos Venizelos, who characterised Papandreou as unable to lead the party to the government.

When Young People Stopped Dreaming in Greece

There is a motto in the Greek language which is often used and refers to how Greece treats young people living in the country and struggling to succeed in their life. It is usually said that "Greece strangles its own children".

Turkish Cypriots Voice is Heard Loudly, Even if Turkey Wants to Close its Ears

In one of his recent statements, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referring to the Cyprus problem, once again insisted on denying reality and distorting the truth commonly admitted by the European Union, the United Nations and other international organizations and states.

Papandreou's Leadership in Greece Under the Riots' Pressure

Yesterday's massive strike in Greece and the thousands of people who demonstrated in the center of Athens and many other Greek cities proved once again that Greece is under an unprecedented "social war" that no one knows when it will end.

The Challenge of Privatization and the Greek Debt

The Greek economy continues to stand on the edge of the cliff. Despite the EU-IMF' s bailout, -- the unprecedented austerity program of cutting wages and pensions implemented by the Greek government and a tough tax invasion pushing down the buying power and income of the middle class -- the forecasts are still ominous for the Greek economy's prospects.

Will Americans Pay for the Euro Zone's Debt Crisis?

Most of us may have been informed of many aspects regarding the Euro zone's debt crisis and particularly of the risk that the EU members run of getting caught in a vicious cycle of instability, which would definitely cause disastrous effects on the financial system, not only in Europe but also in the rest of the world.

Will Papandreou Rescue Greek People From Social Bankruptcy?

Over the last year Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou made bold efforts to persuade the European Union and the global financial markets that his government is determined to take tough austerity measures to fight the huge budget deficit and restore the credibility of Greek economy.