The Center Holds and the Horse-Trading Begins
The far right won’t play kingmaker when it comes to deciding on whether von der Leyen is reappointed as European Commission president, but they are still a stronger force in the new European Parliament.
The far right won’t play kingmaker when it comes to deciding on whether von der Leyen is reappointed as European Commission president, but they are still a stronger force in the new European Parliament.
The EU has despatched a maritime mission to the Red Sea, in defense of maritime security and the freedom of navigation. Whether or not the root cause—Israel’s war in Gaza—is brought to an end will determine success or failure.
For the first time, the EU has made a nexus between trade policy, which is the European Commission’s domain, and security policy, which still largely rests with the member states. Its Anti-Coercion Instrument is a deterrence tool.
Can an unfair election campaign produce a fair result? After Hungary and Turkey, Poland, too, might drift deeper into illiberalism.
Artificial intelligence is upending the art of diplomacy. But is the field ready?
The EU-Mercosur agreement has been dormant since 2019. However, it is the key missing piece in the EU’s approach to Latin America and the Caribbean. Its enactment would be an important sign of Brussels’ willingness to engage differently with the so-called Global South.
Those calling for a more “geopolitical” European Union rarely define exactly what that means.
Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy have won big–but not big enough to easily change Italy’s democratic path. Nonetheless, her new government may well be tempted to seek close relations with Poland and Hungary and join their struggle with Brussels.
Boris Johnson relishes his role as Mr. Unpredictable when it comes to the United Kingdom’s foreign relations. Other countries will have to get used to the mayhem.
Even if China’s pro-Moscow stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not set in stone, it cannot be without consequences for Germany’s new China strategy.
The opposition in Hungary had seemed to be losing momentum, but a recent corruption scandal has damaged the ruling Fidesz party. Will it be enough to unseat longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán?
Forget about the UK’s soul searching about Afghanistan—to the EU’s surprise, AUKUS seems to show that Global Britain can deliver. This raises tricky questions for European defense.