The Hotel Lutetia in Paris: redemption and European memory
The Hotel Lutetia has never been a simple hotel. Not only because it is the only grand hotel on the Left Bank of the Seine that embodies the spirit of bohemian Paris — its Art Nouveau rooms welcomed the greatest writers, artists and intellectuals of the twentieth century, from Guillaume Apollinaire to James Joyce, from […]
Europe thinks it’s too weak. It’s time for some confidence-building
The Trump administration has made it clear that it considers the European Union – and not its individual members – an ideological enemy. It is stated in the National Security Strategy published at the end 2025, and it was reiterated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his speech at the Munich Conference in early […]
A Transatlantic divorce? The alliance in the age of Trump
For eight decades, the transatlantic alliance under the US leadership, has served as the backbone of Western security. Built in the aftermath of World War II and reinforced through the Cold War, NATO bound the United States and Europe together through shared interests, shared values, and a shared understanding that collective defense was preferable to […]
Isolation or engagement: how the Lukashenka question is splitting the Belarusian opposition
In recent months, a quiet but consequential debate has taken shape within the Belarusian democratic movement. Far from presenting a unified front, the opposition appears increasingly divided over a fundamental strategic question: how should they and how should the European Union deal with Alexander Lukashenko? At the heart of the disagreement lies a dilemma that […]
The story of “Memorial”. Understanding transformation of post-soviet Russia
During Russia’s great war against Ukraine, which recently entered its fourth year, countless small things occur that barely make it into the media yet are no less important for understanding current events. In February 2026 it became known that the Moscow “State Museum of the History of the Gulag” is to be permanently dissolved. In […]
Orbán’s ruthless strategy to cling to power
Viktor Orbán’s deadly trap The Hungarian elections, to be held on 12 April, confirm a rule of romantic relationships: exes, if they want to, can be dangerous. They know the family lexicon, they know the weak points, they recognise panic, they know where to strike to cause pain. Péter Magyar, forty-four years old, is the […]
The jumbo summit where EU has everything at stake. Denmark and Slovenia at the polls
***** A jumbo summit puts EU leaders to the test On 19 and 20 March, the heads of state and government of the European Union will meet in Brussels for a jumbo European Council. The agenda includes six items, some highly divisive but all of vital importance to the European Union: Ukraine, the Middle East, […]
The mothers of the Mediterranean, theatre and music, while winter slowly yields
28-29 March. Mons la girafe / Sceaux, France The giraffe from the Kharkiv zoo On January 1st, the Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv was bombed. Two lions were injured and all the birds in an aviary died. The Feldman had also been among the first targets at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, […]
How to fight, and possibly win, the war of lies
Russia ended 2025 with a claim that Ukraine tried to hit Vladimir Putin’s residence near Valdai with drones. The Kremlin cast it as a turning point, saying the alleged attack would force Moscow to review its position in talks to end the war. Kyiv denied the claim. American intelligence agencies rejected it as false. Moscow […]
To resist Trump’s aggressiveness, Europe needs a revolution
Revolutions are strange machines: to avoid crashing, they must accelerate. In 2026, the new Trumpism enters its second year. It is a delicate moment. Energy is being consumed. Much has been done in twelve months, but that’s the point: too much and too little at the same time. Midterm elections in America are approaching, the […]