Eurasia

France and Central Europe Are Converging on Security

France and Central Europe have often stood on opposite sides of European foreign policy debates. But Russia’s war and Donald Trump’s shadow are making their strategic outlooks align. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is reshaping European geopolitics, whether in terms of security dynamics, regional equilibriums, or national foreign policy positions. …

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Judy Asks: Is Poland Back?

Donald Tusk’s government is trying to restore Poland’s rule of law while reclaiming the country’s role as a major EU player. But divisions in Polish politics and society complicate reforms. Tony Barber – European comment editor of the Financial Times Not completely. For the health of Polish democracy, and for …

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The Danger of Regional War in the Middle East

Israel’s campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks still overshadows Middle East politics, with the spectre of wider war or other regional instability ever present even as ceasefire talks appear to be making progress. Crisis Group experts offer a 360-degree view. The war in Gaza between …

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How Austria became Putin’s Alpine Fortress

For Vienna, neutrality is simply good business. It didn’t occur to the Austrian chamber of commerce that hosting a cozy networking event on the outskirts of Moscow might raise eyebrows in some quarters. As record cold gripped the Russian capital in January, the local chapter saw an opportunity to pierce …

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The Cold War roots of Scholz’s tank trauma

Olaf Scholz’s long dithering before sending tanks is symptomatic of a deep-seated mindset that détente won the Cold War, not Reagan’s belligerence. In early January of 1984, an aspiring young West German socialist with a shoulder-length curly mane traveled by train to East Berlin with his comrades for an important …

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Putin proving his ambitions don’t stop at Ukraine

The day before Vladimir Putin’s long yearly address to parliament Thursday, politicians from Transnistria, a pro-Kremlin breakaway region of Moldova, asked the Russian president to “protect” it against Moldova’s “increased pressure” — and Moscow responded it considers protecting its “compatriots” a priority. It’s a reminder Putin’s ambitions don’t stop at …

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Israel’s ‘day-after’ plan for Gaza is a brutal occupation

Netanyahu is taking Israel’s war on Gaza to a final terrifying stage, promising that total victory is at hand and using 1.5 million Palestinians in Rafah as hostages. If he can’t force them out into Sinai, he wants to take over complete control of the Rafah crossing from Egypt, destroy …

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Moscow as mediator? Why Russia is hosting Palestinian unity talks

From 29 February to 2 March, there will be an intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow under the Russian government’s auspices. Officials representing Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, and approximately ten other Palestinian factions received invitations and will participate. “Moscow’s goal is to help the various Palestinian forces agree to unite their ranks …

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Washington’s Middle East Strategy Is All Cost, No Benefit

A month after a drone attack killed three American troops at a US military outpost in Jordan’s borderlands with Syria, decisionmakers in DC are still contending with restricted policy options. The strike at the Tower 22 outpost came as instability ripped across the greater Middle East. Within days, the US …

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Can Mark Rutte save NATO?

It’s been more than five years since Mark Rutte earned the nickname “the Trump whisperer.” It was July 2018 and Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, had ushered everyone but the leaders, ambassadors and a handful of staff out of the room at the military alliance’s headquarters. Minutes earlier, Donald Trump …

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