By trying to manage the financial fallout of the coronavirus without also providing democratic reform, the EU will unleash another cycle of the legitimacy problems it has suffered since the eurozone crisis.
The new leader of the Labour Party has already established full control of his party. He now has the power to set its course for the next years—but he must deal with two urgent challenges first.
For Europe, the internal economic shock created by the coronavirus is set to be compounded by an external security shock triggered by the economic collapse of its neighborhood.
As the United States puts pressure on Europe to cut down on its trade ties with Iran, Tehran has already set its sights eastward. To remain a player, the Europeans have to step up their game.
The EU is a global actor, particularly in the areas of trade, sanctions, and assistance, but its neighboring regions remain the main focus of its external policy.
The coronavirus pandemic is putting the liberal script under immense pressure—but it could prosper again if democracies radically reorder their priorities during and after this crisis.
The EU has gone through many crises over the past decades. But the coronavirus pandemic could well be the ultimate acid test of its resilience as a community based on solidarity and common values.
While France and Germany will factor prominently in the post-Brexit EU, other European countries are forming informal, ad hoc blocs to lobby for their respective interests.
As the United States confronts China more directly, Merkel is exploring deeper cooperation with Xi. Economic upheaval from the coronavirus could reinforce the temptation in Berlin to keep Beijing close.
The leader of Europe’s largest economy has pleaded with German citizens to take the coronavirus seriously. Her recent address provides a path for democracies everywhere.
The coronavirus outbreak raises questions about how to cope with crises both within Europe and well outside its borders.
Peace and stability have largely prevailed across the EU in recent decades, but its current generation of leaders now face a critical test of resilience.
Civil society organizations throughout Europe are not taking authoritarian encroachment sitting down. Instead, they are finding creative ways to fight back.
In order to survive, authoritarian regimes undergo processes to adapt and reinvent themselves. Putin’s constitutional reform ensures that he will remain the key figure in Russian politics after 2024.
A striking feature of democracy in the European Union is the sheer variation in political trends. To rebuild democratic citizenship, the EU must address three common, broad concerns across Europe.
The EU Code of Practice on Disinformation was an important experiment that has now come to an end. But what should follow? Without a renewed focus on stakeholder engagement, efforts could stall, putting everyone at risk of disinformation attacks.
While several post-Soviet countries such as Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine now routinely hold free and fair elections, another democratic pillar—rule of law—has proved much more difficult to achieve.
It’s too late to defeat the Assad regime, but a humanitarian intervention by the EU and NATO could prevent countless deaths and another massive refugee crisis.
The EU’s traditional business model is not fit for a world of power politics. Whether the EU can protect its interests and values in this new situation will depend on stronger and more decisive leadership.
No matter who wins in November, turning back the clock to 2016 will not be possible. European trust in U.S. leadership has been irreparably damaged.