The death of Adolfo Suárez, the first democratic PM of post-Franco Spain, at the age of 81, has reminded a depressed and disenchanted Spanish society that there was once a moment when they prevailed over the odds of history.
Like most Europeans, Spaniards were shocked by revelations of extensive US spying on European citizens. Yet, there has been little or no public debate on state surveillance in Spain since then. Why not? (from our new Joining the dots series)
As each day progressively reveals the extent of corruption inside the ruling People's Party, the Spanish people are disheartened by the conduct of their politicians, including that of Prime Minister Rajoy. But there are things that they can do.
With most European efforts focusing on salvaging the economy and an inaudible External Action Service, is there a future for European foreign policy?
In Spain, any piece of news that distracts the attention from the economic, social and political crisis is welcome these days. For a country that has never shown too much interest in international affairs, the US presidential campain represents a traditional exception.
