Europe wrestles with defining itself

Meanwhile, several countries, starting with Spain in February, are holding referendums on another EU project: the newly signed constitution. A "no" vote could jeopardize the pact aimed at revamping decisionmaking in the EU, which expanded to 25 countries from 15 last year.

"The ratification of the constitution will be the No. 1 issue this year," says Katinka Barysch, an EU expert at the Centre for European Reform, a think tank in London.

What to watch:

• France's referendum, expected in early summer, could seal the constitution's fate. A "non," though at this stage unlikely, could scuttle hopes for greater European integration. A "oui" would turn eyes to another precarious ballot: Britain in 2006.

- MRO

A general election, expected to be set for May 5, will preoccupy Britons in 2005. Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Bush's closest international ally in the Iraq war, will keep his job, polls suggest, but voters upset by his support for US policies could reduce his Labour Party's majority.

"Labour will return with a reduced majority, but ... the prime minister will be able to press on with the sort of policies, particularly public-sector reform, that he has started," says Wyn Grant, professor of politics at England's Warwick University.

International matters will also occupy the prime minister. In 2005, Britain will chair the G-8 group of industrialized nations and the EU. Blair and his finance chief, Gordon Brown, have vowed to use that clout to help ease Africa's debt and HIV/AIDS predicament. Mr. Brown promises a "new Marshall plan" for the developing world, urging rich countries to boost aid spending to 0.7 percent of GDP and wipe out all debt owed by the poorest countries. "We're expecting it to be a big year," says Harriet Binet of Oxfam.

What to watch:

• Britain aims to turn momentum for tsunami relief to its antipoverty agenda. Brown is pushing a G-8 plan to freeze nearly $6 billion in debt owed by tsunami-affected nations. And Thursday, Brown will deliver his "Marshall plan." The effort will culminate at July's G-8 summit.

- MRO

Keep an eye this winter on the Alpine slopes, where a maverick young American is well placed to break Europe's 20-year grip on world skiing.

Laid-back New Hampshire native Bode Miller is off to an explosive start in the World Cup championship, piling up six victories so far and becoming only the second man in history to win all four Alpine disciplines in the same season.

After several disappointing seasons, Mr. Miller seems to have gained the upper hand over the man who has ruled the slopes in recent years: Hermann "The Herminator" Maier.

Miller and Mr. Maier pit two different styles of skiing, and of life, against each other. Miller is cool, with a devil-may-care approach to racing. He makes impossibly late turns with astonishing nonchalance.

Maier is a machine, dedicated to victory, who often works himself up into an enraged lather of spittle as he waits in the gates. Maier trains by lifting weights and riding bicycles. Miller does log rolling and tightrope walking.

In previous seasons, Miller crashed out as often as he finished a race. This year, he seems to have disciplined his speed. With the Winter Olympics coming up in 2006, he could put skiing on the American sports map.

What to watch:

• Miller has a big lead in the standings. Can Maier catch up? Tune in to the World Cup Alpine Ski Championships March 9-13 in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

- Peter Ford, Paris

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