Pedro Sánchez and the balancing act above chaos
The shadows of evening seem to be lengthening and darkening over the Spanish government led by socialist Pedro Sánchez. Will we witness a sudden sunset or will the twilight linger until 2027? We do not know. Investigations into the alleged (but almost certain) corruption of some important socialist leaders and the whims of the parties […]
Ukraine’s lifesaving shield: defiant humour on display
We are often amazed by the strength of the Ukrainian people, who have been able to resist, on a large scale, the largest, most painful, and bloodiest military invasion on the European continent since the end of World War II for more than three years. One of the sources of this difficult opposition to the […]
The showdown on Trump’s tariffs – and our funds for the future
July 9, the day of reckoning on Trump’s tariffs US President Donald Trump has set July 9 as the deadline for reaching a trade agreement with the European Union, otherwise US tariffs on European products could rise to 50 percent. Accept an unfavorable agreement or risk escalation? This is the dilemma facing Ursula von der […]
Merz triples military spending, the Greens step in as detectives
Germans now know how much it will cost them to take a leading role in European defense – and they seem to accept it. According to the federal government’s plans, the defense budget will amount to €152.8 billion in 2029 – if the Bundestag confirms the figure, the budget will be about three times higher […]
Festivals, exhibitions, films, and photography for democracy across Europe this July
10-13 JULY 2025. EXIT FESTIVAL / NOVI SAD, SERBIA The last rave party of democracy in Novi Sad In 2000, the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, one of the most important music festivals in the world, was born out of a movement of young Serbs protesting for peace and freedom in the Balkans. For several […]
America’s weak strongman
TORONTO – Over the past two months, financial investors have hit upon a new trading strategy, based on a simple rule: TACO – Trump Always Chickens Out. America’s president threatens to slap massive import tariffs on friends and foes alike, or to remove the Federal Reserve chair, only to back down when the whip of […]
For a rebellious Europe
Despite the difficulties of the moment – perhaps due to the strangeness and menace of the daily spectacle from the White House – something profoundly significant is stirring in Europe. A radical transformation is underway in Washington. Though erratic, Trumpist politics follows a clear method: a wire never breaks with a clean snap – it […]
Ukrainians have changed the way they fight. A lesson for Europe
“Ukraine is saving itself,” says Anne Applebaum, “and I think that’s what the world hasn’t fully grasped yet: the Ukrainians have completely transformed their approach to defending against Russian aggression—this isn’t the same war as three years ago.” Essayist, commentator, and Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum stands out as one of the clearest and most […]
A cohesive Europe to face global challenges: our time is now
We live immersed, involved, and “contaminated” in an era of unrelenting transformations, where changes no longer follow the slow pace of history but the accelerated rhythm of global crises. Wars at the doorstep of the continent, technological revolutions reshaping the world of work, markets, and human relations, new geopolitical alliances forming and dissolving at dizzying […]
A letter to Europe, from the Far West
Dear Europeans, Just as there is a Far East, in the more or less arbitrary geographical taxonomies of the Earth, there should also be a Far West. Just as a certain orientalism seems to condense on the peaks of Tibet, it is possible that there is a South American Tibet (among the high summits of […]