Germany suffers humiliating defeat in bid for UN Security Council seat
This marks the first time in its history that Germany has failed in a bid for a non-permanent seat on the Council.
International institutions
Latest reporting and analysis on international institutions.
Rutte says US troop withdrawal from Europe ‘no surprise’ and will not weaken NATO defence
The NATO chief framed the changes as part of a wider rebalancing of responsibilities inside the alliance.
NATO’s death and what it would mean for Europe
The mess we are in is getting deeper.
EU may suspend Venice Biennale funding over planned Russian participation
The European Commission has launched a procedure that could lead to the suspension or withdrawal of European Union funding for the Venice Biennale.
From world order to global jungle
The decline and fall of the so-called post-war rules-based international order has quickly moved from prophecy or speculation to directly observable fact.
EU unveils 13th Star flag for ‘Global Partners’
The European Commission has unveiled a “new” 13th star for the EU flag for April Fools’ Day.
The Cyprus anomaly: Why is EU soil still under British occupation?
The news from earlier this month has been more than revealing.
MEPs call for sanctions over Russian recruitment of foreigners
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution addressing the recruitment of non-Russian nationals, particularly from African countries, to fight in Russia’s…
Austrian minister calls for ‘return to diplomacy’, offers Austria as Iran peace talks venue
Austria’s foreign minister has suggested her country could host peace talks between the US and Iran.
NATO: ‘US renegotiating the price of its protection,’ leaving EU uncertain
As the Trump administration presses NATO to rethink its doctrine and assume greater European responsibility, unease is spreading across the continent about both…
How might a functional ‘M12’ grouping of middle powers look like?
As world order frays and old alliances falter, the search is on for new solutions to stabilise the international system while preserving at least some of the principles…
No more disruption, NATO must evolve the alliance with dignity
In this space last week I recounted with a mixture of sadness and amusement the farce of Greenland that had already almost reached Monty Python proportions.
Italy holds back on Trump’s Gaza peace plan
Italy will not join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza, at least for the time being.
US cuts NATO staff roles as Trump targets ‘Arctic security’
The US Government has formally notified European allies of its decision to eliminate approximately 200 personnel positions from several key NATO command centres.
EU weighs whether to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group
The European Union is considering adding the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Pasdaran, to its list of terrorist organisations.
US leaves 66 ‘anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organisations’
In a sweeping move, the United States has formally withdrawn from 66 international organisations deemed "wasteful, ineffective or harmful" by the US President Donald…
Global nuclear arms control under pressure in 2026
The fragile global legal framework for nuclear weapons control faces further setbacks in 2026, eroding guardrails to avoid a nuclear crisis.
International Chess Federation allows Russian and Belarusian youth to play under national flags
Young Russian and Belarusian chess players will now be able to compete under their national flags.
Von der Leyen wants Commission to have its own intelligence service
The European Commission is preparing for the creation of an intelligence service designed to work with European Union member states' intelligence services.
Does Europe deserve a seat at the Gaza peace plan table?
Like many leaders facing dire straits domestically, French President Macron hoped his control of foreign policy might allow him to claw back some of his lost prestige.
BRICS countries look poised to fill any void left by US in UN
The UN is under pressure as Washington is pulling money and retreating from agencies.
US backs UN condemnation of Israeli strikes on Qatar
The United Nations Security Council has issued a rare unanimous condemnation of Israeli airstrikes on Qatar's capital, Doha, with the US breaking from its traditional…
More cold water poured on von der Leyen plane GPS jamming story
Big holes have started to appear in a widely reported story about the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria, which reportedly…
WHO ‘withdrew critical Covid report at request of China and Italian government’
Italian Dr Francesco Zambon was awarded compensation of €25,000 by an international court after it found the World Health Organisation (WHO) suppressed his Covid-19…
Vatican leans more towards Palestine than Israel? Not strictly speaking
When asked to comment on France's decision in July to recognise the State of Palestine, the Vatican Secretary of State noted that the Holy See has recognised Palestine…
EC suspected own translator to be alleged Russian spy, report states
A translator who was present at closed-door top meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late 2024 was suspected by the European Commission of being…
International law had its era, but for now it seems over
The 19th-century British philosopher Jeremy Bentham famously dismissed the idea of universal human rights as "Nonsense on stilts.
US sanctions four ICC judges over alleged ‘politicisation and abuse of power’
The US Department of State has sanctioned four individuals serving as judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ireland defends nothing, its unarmed neutrality is ‘balderdash’
Ireland is an anomaly inside an absurdity wrapped in an incongruity.
China’s silent siege of the UN: how its NGO army hijacked and outsmarted a West obsessed with Russia
Picture Chinese President Xi Jinping at Moscow’s Victory Day parade: the guest of honour, smirking beside Putin. That happened last Friday.