States still matter; Also, France caves to students while Germany looks on

Actually, the world is round
Researchers find that despite global Internet happiness, states are not becoming irrelevant; just the opposite is happening, in fact. The book is "Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World." I saw it on Daniel Drezner's blog.

French students win
Meanwhile, in the allegedly borderless Europe, France threw out its proposed labor law reforms. UPI had a somewhat interesting piece on the "near-apathy" of students in Germany facing similar labor reforms.

Merkel, Merkel, Merkel
It's seemed incredible, sort of Nixon-to-China, that Merkel - raised in the East - might be the one to bring a more market-based economy to Germany. And the time is now for Phase Two. But murmurs are starting to rise that she might not be successful.

On another subject, though, she has been sure to speak out, though, against national protectionism in favor of EU energy cooperation.