Europe’s inability to prevent or alleviate the chaos of the departure—or even to have some influence over the withdrawal timeline and logistics—despite European NATO members’ 20-year involvement in Afghanistan has been felt as a deep humiliation here. In an interview Tuesday, European Council President Charles Michel offered some scathing criticism …

For several months now, much of the U.S. and European foreign and security policy community’s attention has been riveted to the Russia-Ukraine border, where more than 100,000 Russian troops remain massed and equipped for a potential invasion. Most of the internal debates in the West during this time have focused …

The current crisis between Russia and Ukraine has put the United States and its European allies on high alert over the possibility of the first major interstate military conflict in Europe since World War II. Although efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis continue, the room for a …

In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a port city on the Pacific coast, to issue a call to action. Russia, he said, needed a new generation of pioneers to revive the country’s eastern frontier. “The development of the Far Eastern region …

The European Union has launched a case at the World Trade Organization against China over what Brussels describes as Beijing’s “discriminatory trade practices” toward Lithuania. By doing so, the bloc joins a growing list of countries, including Australia and the United States, seeking to hold China accountable via the multilateral …

Two stories out of Italy have attracted international attention this week: The country’s chaotic election of its president, and a controversial video conference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian business leaders. Both highlighted the ways in which Italy, which could play an important role in the European Union on …

The sixth leaders’ summit between the African Union and European Union will finally take place this week in Brussels, following several postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic. Traditionally occurring every three years, the summit was initially scheduled for 2020. The AU-EU summit is often touted as the ideal venue for …

What happened? As Somalia’s long-delayed electoral process moved ahead amid reports of manipulation, the power struggle between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmajo” and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble persisted; tensions ran high in Puntland and Hirshabelle states; and Al-Shabaab extended its grip. Why does it matter? Government institutions are divided …

What happened? Despite a lull in large-scale fighting since late December, the Tigray region’s forces continued to clash with fighters in the neighbouring Afar region where the humanitarian toll remained high; meanwhile, the armed conflict in Ethiopia’s largest region, Oromia, intensified. Why does it matter? The fragile lull in large-scale …

What happened? The Lebanese lira’s value continued to diminish, reaching a record low and prompting the central bank to announce a new initiative aimed at currency stabilisation. Shiite parties Hizbollah and Amal ended their months-long boycott of cabinet meetings. Why does it matter? Lebanon’s economic crisis continued to worsen with …