Spain

List of Spain articles

Demonstrators silhouetted with the sun in the background wave Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags during a protest in Barcelona in 2019.
Demonstrators silhouetted with the sun in the background wave Catalan pro-independence Estelada flags during a protest in Barcelona in 2019.

Catalonia Can’t Quit Madrid

But separatist parties hope upcoming elections will revitalize the independence movement.

An archaeologist studies the bones of 14 bodies of women killed by the forces of Francisco Franco in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War at a mass grave in the southwestern Spanish town of Gerena.
An archaeologist studies the bones of 14 bodies of women killed by the forces of Francisco Franco in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War at a mass grave in the southwestern Spanish town of Gerena.

In Spain, Can Truth Ever Bring Reconciliation?

A new law seeks to unearth Franco’s victims, but it doesn’t go as far as truth commissions in countries like Argentina, Chile, and South Africa.

People celebrate Lunar New Year at a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok on Feb. 12, 2021.
People celebrate Lunar New Year at a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok on Feb. 12, 2021.
Exhaust emerges from the smokestack of a natural gas-fired power plant in Berlin.
Exhaust emerges from the smokestack of a natural gas-fired power plant in Berlin.

Southern Europe Gets a Taste of Power—Literally

Countries like Italy and Spain now rely less on Russian gas, and for once, they may bail out Germany.

Vacationers sit on a beach in Greece.
Vacationers sit on a beach in Greece.

The Mediterranean as We Know It Is Vanishing

From Saint-Tropez to Amalfi, the region’s most attractive tourist destinations are also its most vulnerable.

Demonstrators wave Western Sahara flags during a protest against the Spanish government support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, in Madrid, on March 26.
Demonstrators wave Western Sahara flags during a protest against the Spanish government support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, in Madrid, on March 26.

Why Is Madrid Pandering to Morocco?

Spain has traded five decades of neutrality on Western Sahara while getting nothing but a spyware scandal in return.

Gas pipelines at the Enagás liquefied natural gas regasification plant, the oldest in continental Europe, in the port of Barcelona on March 29.
Gas pipelines at the Enagás liquefied natural gas regasification plant, the oldest in continental Europe, in the port of Barcelona on March 29.

Spain’s Energy Ambitions Are Looking Like a Pipe Dream

Madrid wanted to become a European hub for natural gas. Then it reneged on Western Sahara.

A woman holds up a sign that demands the abolition of prostitution during a demonstration in Madrid on Oct. 23.
A woman holds up a sign that demands the abolition of prostitution during a demonstration in Madrid on Oct. 23.

Why Does Spain’s Progressive Prime Minister Want to Ban Prostitution?

Pedro Sánchez hopes to bolster his feminist credentials—and take on the far right.

A woman protests during a demonstration against sexist violence in Madrid.
A woman protests during a demonstration against sexist violence in Madrid.

Should Abusive Partners Have Parental Rights?

A gruesome case of “vicarious violence” in Spain raises new questions about whether abusive partners can ever be good parents.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez

Spain’s Prime Minister Can’t Win When It Comes to Catalonia

Pedro Sánchez’s pardons represent a balanced response to a divisive issue—but both sides have denounced him.

A Vox party supporter protests in front of the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid on May 18.
A Vox party supporter protests in front of the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid on May 18.

Spain Takes a Leap to the Populist Right

This week’s border crisis with Morocco will cast a long shadow over Spanish politics.

Barbary macaques in Gibraltar.
Barbary macaques in Gibraltar.

Is Brexit Driving Gibraltar Into Europe’s Arms?

The territory at the tip of Spain will remain British on paper, but in practice Brexit has brought it closer to the EU than ever before.

Mileurista-Spain-decoder-foreign-policy-illustration-article
Mileurista-Spain-decoder-foreign-policy-illustration-article

Who Wants to Be a Thousandaire?

Spain’s “mileurista” generation is a portent of things to come for the global economy.

King Felipe of Spain attends the National Day Military Parade on Oct. 12, 2019 in Madrid.
King Felipe of Spain attends the National Day Military Parade on Oct. 12, 2019 in Madrid.

Spain’s Military Has No Time for Democracy

Retired officers nostalgic for the Franco dictatorship are denouncing the country’s elected government. King Felipe should condemn these anti-democratic forces just as his father did in 1981.

This photo from June 19 shows an image of Iliass Tahiri (left) and his brother and a video still capturing the death of Iliass. Iliass Tahiri, 18, died on July 1, 2019, at the Tierras de Oria detention center in southern Almeria province, Spain.
This photo from June 19 shows an image of Iliass Tahiri (left) and his brother and a video still capturing the death of Iliass. Iliass Tahiri, 18, died on July 1, 2019, at the Tierras de Oria detention center in southern Almeria province, Spain.

Deadly Restraints Are a Stain on the EU

The continued use of lethal restraints, as in the case of Iliass Tahiri in Spain, damages the bloc’s human rights advocacy around the world.

A tourist wearing a face mask walks on Magaluf Beach in Calvia on the Spanish island of Mallorca on July 8.
A tourist wearing a face mask walks on Magaluf Beach in Calvia on the Spanish island of Mallorca on July 8.

Johnson Is Bringing Brits Home, but They’re Probably Safer in Spain

The British government’s haphazard approach to quarantining travelers won’t make up for its failed domestic coronavirus containment efforts.

Former King Juan Carlos I attends a Mass in occasion of the 25th anniversary of death of his father on April 3, 2018 in El Escorial, Spain.
Former King Juan Carlos I attends a Mass in occasion of the 25th anniversary of death of his father on April 3, 2018 in El Escorial, Spain.

Is Spain’s Royal Family Finished?

Corruption charges against the former king forced him into exile—and the latest scandal could be the nail in the coffin for the monarchy.

A man leaves the Menoyia immigration detention center near the town of Kofinou in Cyprus on May 29.
A man leaves the Menoyia immigration detention center near the town of Kofinou in Cyprus on May 29.

The End of Immigration Detention Doesn’t Mean the End of Fortress Europe

The coronavirus pandemic temporarily ended the practice of detaining and deporting asylum-seekers in many countries, but harsher border controls could make reaching Europe and the United States harder than ever.

Spanish deputies take part in a plenary session to discuss the "minimum vital income" plan approved by the government in Madrid on June 10.
Spanish deputies take part in a plenary session to discuss the "minimum vital income" plan approved by the government in Madrid on June 10.

Spain’s Post-Lockdown Culture War Has Only Just Begun

The coronavirus response has increased political polarization, threatening the country’s economic recovery.

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