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Ukraine’s armed forces surprised many when they managed to counter-invade Russia in early August. In part, the Ukrainians acted out of a sense of urgency, something that is sorely lacking in Western debates.

By introducing a defense commissioner, Ursula von der Leyen’s second European Commission makes clear that Europe’s security is an urgent priority. Defense industrial policy will, by necessity, be a key focus.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has unified European thinking about defense. But differences remain, says the Czech Defense Ministry’s Director-General for Defense Policy and Planning Jan Jireš. 

There is overwhelming support for greater defense efforts within the EU, with citizens considering it one of their most important concerns. The EU now needs to bridge the gap between rhetoric and action.

Europe’s defense and security should be the number one issue for those countries that form “NATO’s European pillar” as well as those in the European Union. It is time to pull out all the stops to bolster the continent’s military capabilities.

For the second year in a row, the UN climate change conference is being hosted in a country highly reliant on fossil fuels. Will Azerbaijan leverage COP29 to promote fossil fuel interests, or help chart a sustainable decarbonization path for petrostates?

Highly indebted European NATO countries should levy a “defense tax” to make their long-term commitment to higher defense spending politically credible and financially sustainable.

Europe’s fiscal future depends on raising productivity in the workforce, which can rise if men start pulling their weight at home.

The US Treasury is preparing a screening mechanism for investments in China. German policymakers and businesses should not avoid the debate about how Europe should react.

Politically, the Scholz government seems finished, even if it manages to drag on for another year. Germany, which derived much of its foreign policy stance from its seemingly unshakable “stability,” does not look so stable all of a sudden.

A month ago it looked like the national capitals had hobbled the European Commission president. But Ursula von der Leyen’s shrewd last-minute moves before unveiling her college of commissioners have reasserted her authority and instead hobbled the French president.

For the first time in over 20 years, two German navy ships passed the Taiwan Strait in September, amid Chinese protests. For Berlin, this is the right way to go.