Given these power dynamics, the protests resulted in two key concessions: First, the EU put its trade talks with Mercosur nations Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay on hold. Second, it carved out a rule that would have forced farmers to leave part of their land untouched, resting the soil and hopefully allowing biodiversity to flourish. … Read more
The vaccine procurement program is often cited as a possible example for this. During the Covid-19 pandemic, EU member countries ceded sovereignty to the Commission for the purchase of vaccines. The Commission was then given a budget and tasked with procurement, which enabled the EU to secure vaccines quickly, in large quantities and to distribute … Read more
But in a country with a population of 143 million, this hardly amounts to a political awakening or outpouring. No doubt Russian opposition leaders will attribute this to fear — the fear of incurring the wrath of a Kremlin that has ramped up a vicious crackdown on dissent and dissidents, meting out steep jail terms … Read more
This is a decisive moment for our generation. If we fail to show determination, we will be seen as weak. And as history has shown, weakness doesn’t lead to peace. Alliances are what democracies do best. Authoritarian regimes have never been effective in maintaining them because for autocrats, cooperation is based only on short-term needs … Read more
We can no longer afford to diddle around like this! And rarely has anything hammered home just how much we remain stuck in the harsh reality of centuries past as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is, however, far from the only recent wake-up call as to just how far opponents of our liberal democratic order … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Dragan Đilas is the president of the Party of Freedom and Justice and a member of the Serbia Against Violence coalition. He served as the mayor of Belgrade (2008–2013) and the president of the Democratic Party, Serbia’s main opposition party (2012–2014). When Serbia was … Read more
Anchal Vohra is an international affairs commentator and was based in Beirut until recently. The India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) was launched on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi amid much fanfare. A key pillar of United States President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific and Middle East strategies, the American leader hailed the project as … Read more
Miguel Otero-Iglesias a senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid. Faced with a choice between successfully completing the green transition, effectively achieving economic security and aiming for fiscal discipline, the European Union is confronted with a new trilemma — and it cannot accomplish all three. But while Germany — with its debt brake, … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Best performance by a German pretending to be president of Europe. Winner: Ursula von der Leyen Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images Poor Ursula von der Leyen. Try as she might not just to project power, but to wield it, the European Commission president runs … Read more
