I Saw Firsthand How US Tech Giants Seduced the EU – and Undermined Democracy

588

June 29, 2022

Published in The Guardian
(U.K.) on 28 June 2022
by Georg Riekeles (link to original link to original)

Translated from by . Edited by .

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Block title

Australia: US Midterm Results Devastating for Donald Trump, but He Is Far from a Lame Duck

November 4, 2026. Published in ABC News Australia

Australia: Will Trump’s Midterms Wipe-Out Hit Australia’s Already Shaky Economy?

November 4, 2026. Published in ABC News Australia

Egypt: Ilhan Omar and Trump: A Test of American Democracy

November 4, 2026. Published in Daily News Egypt

[T]he strength of American institutions is measured ... by their capacity to apply the same rules regardless of party affiliation, background or relationship with the president.

Canada: The US AI Panic Is a Gift to Canada

November 2, 2026. Published in National Post

Ireland: Martha Stewart Dressing Up as a Socioeconomic Crisis Was a Perfect Reflection of the Times

November 3, 2026. Published in Irish Times

Topics

Egypt: Trump Is Drowning in the Blue Flood

November 8, 2026. Published in Gate Ahram

Party identity is never a shield, and populist rhetoric, however strong its power to mobilize, does not last if promises go unfulfilled.

India: Beyond the Blue Wave: American Voters Deliver the Reset the World Was Waiting for

November 7, 2026. Published in Firstpost

There was a massive disconnect between what Trump was telling Americans on their television screens and what they were experiencing in their everyday lives.

Israel: US Election Results Send One Clear Message to Israeli Politics

November 7, 2026. Published in Israel Hayom

The new breed of Democrats is bad news for Israel.

Saudi Arabia: US Voters Care about the Rent, Not the War

November 7, 2026. Published in Arab News

Average voters do not primarily cast ballots for abstract strategic outcomes or distant conflicts; they vote to keep the lights on and the rent paid.

Kenya: Lessons from US Midterm Elections: What Young Africans Can Learn

November 7, 2026. Published in Nation

United Arab Emirates: Strengths and Weaknesses in the US

November 7, 2026. Published in Alkhaleej

[I]ts greatest flaw lies in moving the power of decision in presidential elections from the people ... to the Electoral College, whose members represent the states.

Taiwan: Blue Wave Engulfs Trump

November 6, 2026. Published in UDN

Refusing to be yes-men to those in power is the correct path in the pursuit of democracy.

Austria: Gulf Diplomacy Looks To Prevent the Next Round of the Iran War after the US Midterms

November 6, 2026. Published in Der Standard

[T]here is the painful realization that Iran, regardless of who governs it, must be integrated into a regional security architecture.

Germany: Donald, Musk and the Question of Guilt

October 31, 2026. Published in Taz

Musk claims that decisions on the Starshield program are made by the commander-in-chief, that is, Trump, who, in return, claims he has nothing to do with it.

Austria: Musk Is Seeking Confrontation with Europe. It’s Time To Set Limits for Him

October 29, 2026. Published in Der Standard

The EU must make reducing dependence on American tech companies one of its highest priorities.

Spain: The Age of Cruelty

October 19, 2026. Published in El Pais

Moderation has become a flaw and extremism is a virtue.

Mexico: Campaign Funds

September 20, 2026. Published in La Jornada

One would have to be naive to believe that the so-called democracy of the U.S. electoral model is an anomaly rather than a systemic logic.

Honduras: The ‘Iron War’ and 6G

August 28, 2026. Published in La Tribuna

[T]he challenge of 6G network development does not lie in microchips or programming; rather, it reflects an issue of international diplomacy, space policy and pure physics.

Depreciation of the Yen: Be Conscious of Differences between US and Japanese Monetary Policy

Enough Already – NATO Must Do the Right Thing