As EU-Israel tensions escalate, will Trump wade in?
Even the most far-right Israelis care about keeping their EU access and sense of legitimacy more than they might admit.
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[Interview] Timothy Snyder: Today’s global conflict is humanity vs. technology and billionaires vs. the rest of us
The US historian explains how to survive hell, why Americans elected US president Donald Trump, and why we should not auto-submit to billionaires masters.
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MEPs claim victory as Trump trade pact gets kill-switch
‘We got what we need’. A suspension and sunset clause give MEPs the guarantees they had demanded in trilogue talks with EU ministers on Wednesday morning, giving the parliament a major PR victory.
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EU Commission ducks call to shield Europeans from US sanctions over ICC’s Israel war-crimes probe
The European Commission on Monday shied away from taking a stand on using a mechanism that would shield Europeans, such as Francesca Albanese, from US-imposed sanctions over Israel.
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THIS WEEK: Final push for US trade deal and migration returns as EU leaders travel to MexicoThis week will see high-stakes negotiations over a trade deal with the US and new deportation rules, before the first EU-Mexico summit in 11 years. Meanwhile, MEPs meet in Strasbourg, where the EU Commission will present a new fertiliser strategy, while Latvia faces political instability following the government’s collapse.
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How American soldiers ended up in Europe – and why it’s bad for both the US and EU if they leave
Trump has indicated that he wants to withdraw more than 5,000 troops in Germany. He could also reduce the number of US soldiers in Italy and Spain
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US-China rivalry comes to a climax as Trump meets Xi in Beijing
For Donald Trump, China is a rival, but also an enticing market. It is a security threat, but it has the economic and strategic weight to make US politicians think twice before launching coercive actions against the country.
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The unthinkable is becoming reality. The United States and Israel are heading for divorce
Support for Israel in the United States continues to weaken — both among all young voters and especially in Democratic circles and even amongst Jewish Americans. Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to reduce Israeli dependence on US military aid to zero within 10 years – is that realistic?
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US and Israel escalate clash with Belgium on circumcision law
“Enough with these caricatures, minister”, Belgium told Israel in a row on X, as Israel accused one of its fiercest EU critics of persecuting Jews.
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Why Europe must refuse the data-sharing deal with the US
The EU’s leadership is now on a precipice. Our push for digital sovereignty was driven by concern that the US Cloud Act might give the US administration access to US-owned data centres in Europe. Yet, now the EU Commission is considering a deal with the US authorities to share the personal data of European citizens in exchange for the continuation of visa-waiver scheme.
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Leaked data deal fuels concerns as Europeans risk US entry bans for critics of Trump
The current negotiations, led by the EU Commission, were launched last year following US threats to revoke visa-free travel for EU citizens unless Washington is granted access to biometric data held by European authorities by an end of 2026 deadline.
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Listen: Trump threatens with new tariffs on cars, will the EU retaliate?
A few days ago, Donald Trump threatened Europeans with new tariffs on cars. This time around, will the EU show some teeth?
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‘Nothing changes’ — but what’s the point of a trade deal with Trump?The EU Commission insists that Donald Trump’s latest threat of 25-percent tariffs on EU car exports ‘changes nothing’. But is a US trade deal viable when the president changes his mind on a daily basis?
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EU and Canada deepen ties at Armenia summit in face of Putin and Trump threats
“The international order will be rebuilt … out of Europe,” said Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, in a sequel to his Davos speech.
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Leather excluded from deforestation law, but EU defies Trump call for US exemption
The EU Commission has decided against reopening its anti-deforestation law – but has exempted leather imports from the scope of the bill.
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Europe’s brutal awakening – the costs of its inaction in the Middle East
The humanitarian catastrophe is a consequence of a prolonged European abdication: the refusal to hold a belligerent Israeli government and an erratic American administration to account when doing so mattered. That failure is not just a shameful moral lapse. It is strategic self-harm that has left the European continent exposed, divided and diminished.
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US troop cuts in Europe risk inspiring Russian aggression“Imagine a scenario in which an emboldened Putin fired a nuclear weapon on European territory … What would Trump and the US do then? No one knows. Not even Trump”, an ex-Nato official said.
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Israel rejects Ukraine stolen grain after EU sanctions warning
“We remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries [Israel] if necessary,” the EU had warned on Thursday.
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What would European military help safeguarding Hormuz actually look like?
The current European debate – led by the UK, France, and Germany – suggests a timeframe of several months for maintaining a naval presence once a stable agreement is in place. This appears unrealistic for three reasons. While any projection remains speculative, the coalition’s naval presence is likely to remain in place for at least two to five years.
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[Interview] Sex and violence: How Putin’s rape culture turned on Western macho men
“Like it or not, suffer it, my beauty”, joked Vladimir Putin about Ukraine, using a necrophiliac rape lyric, which prefigured war crimes, as Russian culture also seduced Western macho men.