Only 4 percent of Europeans, on average, consider China to be an “ally,” while over a third regard it as a “rival” or an “adversary.” Still, the temptation to see it as a “strategic hedge” is there.

In parliamentary elections on October 26, Georgians will either back their current government’s pro-Moscow course or get behind the pro-European opposition.

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.

The European Parliament elections may augur whether the rest of the West will swing in a populist direction.