Europe needs new leadership: von der Leyen has been a failure
Ursula von der Leyen has this morning delivered her State of the Union speech. Despite what she said, the picture is not pretty.
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Why has James Bond turned into a hectoring EU technocrat?
James Bond is back. But rather unexpectedly he seems to have adopted the attitudes of a vexed Left-leaning European Union lawmaker.
The State of the Union is this: it is a sham democracy
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will use her State of the Union speech in Strasbourg today to laud her achievements over the last four years and…
Climate activists must be called to account for the growing anti-Semitism within their movement
Anti-Semitism is becoming en vogue again in Europe, and once again the far Left and the far Right found their common ground: Hatred towards Israel and everything…
A summer among the énarques: In this world nothing goes better with an infinity pool than a virulent dose of anti-Americanism
As an end-of-summer holiday, it was unexpected - and decidedly welcome.
Europe needs to get serious about its capacity for independent military action
For hardcore Eurofederalists the military question is foundational to their vision of a United States of Europe.
Cuba is deeply involved in the Ukraine War on Russia’s side – and that’s cause for concern
Cuba has been flying under the radar among a small axis of nations who have supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
What is up with Brussels’ silence over Nord Stream revelations that ‘all evidence’ indicates Ukraine placed the explosives?
You would have thought the Brussels-based media would be salivating and all over the latest breaking story from Germany.
What Giorgia Meloni can teach Europe’s Right – despite what the mainstream media tells you
A year before the upcoming elections to the European parliament, a silent revolution seems to be taking place in Europe: Right-wing populists are learning to actually…
An enduring peace without victory in Ukraine: what it might look like
With the war now past its one-and-a-half year mark and no decisive Russian military defeat or political surrender in sight, the public conversation should start…
EU’s lack of technological innovation is fundamental strategic flaw
The EU appears to have a tech innovation problem despite getting much else right.
‘Power corrupts’: but whether more ‘absolutely’ in the EU or US is a close call
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Neither Cold War Two, nor Balance of Power: absent a clear concept for the state of today’s world, Western policy is aimless
When the Luna-25 probe entered Moon orbit last week, the global headlines were reminiscent of the old US-Soviet space race during the Cold War.
Washington or Beijing and Moscow? In a bipolar world, this is the only choice Europe faces
This week all eyes have been on the BRICS summit taking place in South Africa.
The EU Parliament’s grocery shop isn’t accepting cash – that matters more than you might think
When it comes to scoops, this month's revelation by Brussels Signal’s Peter Caddle that the Delhaize Shop & Go in the European Parliament refuses to take cash…
This week’s BRICS summit will be a fest of anti-Western rhetoric, but it won’t amount to much – yet
This week’s 15th BRICS summit, which will be held in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Thursday, is billing itself as an international game-changer.
EU’s long recess gives new meaning to unbearable ‘Dog Days of Summer’ and encapsulates lack of dynamism in its polity
Walking around the European Quarter in August makes you feel like you are in the opening scene of the 2002 post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later.
War with China is now more likely than not
Since world affairs took a sharp turn back towards great power competition – particularly after Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014 – we have become used to…
Don’t be fooled: China’s investment in renewables is not about net zero – it is about preparing for war with the United States
History is a harsh mistress, especially for those who refuse to learn lessons from the past.
Blair, Royal, Timmermans: Is this the summer of the political walking dead?
They can look like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalking Dead in his Thriller video, and seem about as relevant.
Has Brexit made UK more ‘woke’ than rest of Europe?
When Brexit occurred it was obviously quite the shock to all. The UK lurched into uncharted territory. There was a sense of all bets are off and anything could happen.
The problem of peace: Détente vs appeasement
The recent gathering of diplomats hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah was a notable event – at least in size and participation, if not outcomes.
What the Pope gets right on Europe – and the EU’s mainstream media aren’t reporting
Pope Francis’s tenure has proven controversial: many criticise him for being too liberal and undermining traditional Catholic doctrine.
The EU must stop playing the good guy and start showing it is serious about Europe’s foreign policy interests
In the early days of the civil war in (now former) Yugoslavia during the 1990s, the late Jacques Poos said that this crisis will be “the hour of Europe not the…
Six scenarios for peace in Ukraine: a reality-check
Even in the darkest depths of war there has always been, in all ages, some faint hope of peace.
Germany’s establishment just doesn’t get why the AfD is on the march
According to Robert Habeck, the Green Minister of Economic Affairs, Germany has to prepare for five tough years.
This can’t go on: the Ukraine war and our complacency
The Ukraine war hit its 520th day of bloodshed and mayhem on July 28 as the EU Parliament and most other EU institutions broke up for their summer recess.
Europe was made on the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela: you wouldn’t know it going off the current state of EU politics
The recent death of John Brierley, who through his guidebooks became a Camino de Santiago institution, reminded me about the various, intriguing ways in which the…
European Space Agency: Is it the one part of the European project that can still inspire?
It’s rare that you meet someone who finds space exploration boring.
Has Russia identified a weak spot on Nato’s eastern flank? The drone strike on Reni port was a political attack on Romania
One of the most significant events of the war took place last week – in the least-known corner of Ukraine.