Winter 2026 Issue: New Ideas for Europe

Editorial

Henning Hoff

New Ideas for Europe

The US capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro with the intention of “running” the country is only the latest event in which Europeans have been forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines. This needs to change.

What Europe Thinks ...

Luke Johnson

Europeans Want a Stronger and Larger EU

Polling suggests that big majorities across Europe support common policies on defense, foreign policy, and trade, inter alia. And the latest EU summit showed how a more capable EU may come about.

On the Ground

Lucy Ash

Peace Unto All

Russia’s Orthodox Church is part of President Vladimir Putin’s power apparatus, wholeheartedly supporting the war of aggression against Ukraine and justifying it. Priests who disagree face severe punishment or exile.

Cover Section

Almut Möller

Europe’s Architectural Challenge

Europeans need to boldly re-engage in shaping not only their continent’s security order but also its broader political structures.

Nicolai von Ondarza

Linn Selle

Nathalie Tocci

et al.

Ideas, Please!

What single step would advance the EU right here and now? IPQ asked leading think tankers from across Europe for their one “big idea.”

William Drozdiak

Can Macron Still Persuade Europe to Reform?

French President Emmanuel Macron had myriad ambitious ideas for how to futureproof the EU, but little success in implementing them. Talking to IPQ, he urges his fellow leaders to focus more on Africa, which will see a “spectacular transformation.”

Berlin Cable

Henning Hoff

Germans Need to Overcome Their Pessimism

Amid tumultuous world events, Germany has become fearful of the future. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is right to try and address this.

Pariscope

Joseph de Weck

Trump, Like Putin, Is Miscalculating on Europe

Vladimir Putin’s ill-judged war against Ukraine has weakened Russia—turning it into a junior partner of China and triggering Europe’s rearmament. Trump’s frontal assault on European democracy will rebound against the United States in a similar way.

Warsaw Memo

Piotr Buras

Europe Cannot Afford the Polish-German Impasse

Despite good intentions, ties between Warsaw and Berlin have remained frosty. The European rearmament effort offers an opportunity to improve the relationship that must not be missed.

Carbon Critical

Emily Hardy

Dan Helmeci

The Demonstration Gap: How Europe Is Pulling Ahead on Clean Industry

When it comes to clean industrial policy, the US and EU diverged fundamentally in their approaches during 2025. The next four years will determine who played their cards right.

Brussels Briefing

Rebecca Christie

Europe Pays Up for Ukraine

The EU’s borrowing plan is a solid way forward. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the other European leaders came through when it mattered.

Geoeconomic Front Lines

Francesca Ghiretti

The EU Needs a Plan for the Age of Strategic Globalization

Closer cooperation with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would provide an answer to the problems the EU is facing.

Indo-Pacific Watch

Hanna Gers

Why Countries in the Indo-Pacific Are Looking to Europe

South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan are grappling with the fear that the US may reduce its military commitment to the region. They have started to forge closer security ties with European countries.

The Wider View

John Kampfner

How MAGA Is Taking Aim at “Broken Britain”

The special relationship has never been better—between a special type of American and a special type of Brit. Donald Trump could not be happier with the progress being made by Nigel Farage and his Reform UK.

Quarterly Concerns

Daniel Brössler

The Post-Atlantic Chancellor

Friedrich Merz wants to make Germany a leading middle power, but an assessment of his progress so far in foreign policy is sobering.