Europe
It’s time for Germany to stand up to Russia
In his novel The Loyal Subject, which appeared on the eve of the first world war, Heinrich Mann, the brother…
Putin’s invasion has exposed the frailty of Europe’s armies
Putin’s forces are currently steamrolling Ukraine’s defences, with Russian troops circling the capital and invading from the south and east…
Europe is painfully reliant on Putin
Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine in the early hours of this morning, starting with a massive air attack from…
Are the lights about to go out across Europe?
Today’s snap decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to halt Nord Stream 2 — the new pipeline intended to export…
It’s too late to break Europe’s gas reliance on Russia
So, Nord Stream 2 will not be plugged into Germany’s gas grid. A little surprisingly, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been…
Will Putin now roll on to Kiev?
The White House told us with absolute certainty that there would be an invasion of Ukraine this week — instead…
The seismic importance of Putin’s latest move
Vladimir Putin has tonight unilaterally recognised the two breakaway republics in Ukraine. In doing so, he has effectively ended the…
Viktor Orbán or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Putin
Viktor Orbán first came to prominence when in 1989 he declared on live TV that Hungary must put an end…
Have we reached peak human rights?
After the Colston debacle, you might be forgiven for having missed the other legal story that broke this week. The…
The problem with ‘vaccine equity’
‘A stain on our soul’. That was how Gordon Brown, in his latest missive on the subject, described the failure…
France has the most to lose from Britain’s turn away from Europe
It was Napoleon who declared that ‘a state has the politics of its geography’. We do well to remember that…
Make History Great Again!
Why don’t today’s children know more about history? In an age when information has never been easier to access, it’s…
Europe gripped by a fifth wave
How quickly things change. Just a month ago many EU countries were being praised for keeping some Covid restrictions in…
The fifth Covid wave could break Macron
The fifth Covid wave has started in Europe. Some governments are already imposing lockdowns and wage cuts for the unvaccinated…
How Turkey is fuelling the Belarus-Poland migrant crisis
In the cold, damp forest lining the border between Poland and Belarus, thousands of refugees flown over from the Middle…
Poland’s Belarusian border conflict is becoming violent
The EU’s conflict with Belarus is heating up. The simmering migrant crisis on the Polish border with Belarus exploded into…
Why did neo-Nazis patrol the German border?
Just after midnight last Sunday, around 50 vigilantes gathered in east Germany to ‘patrol’ the country’s border with Poland. They…
Macron may well win. But Macronism is dead
President Emmanuel Macron was in an expansive mood this week as he commandeered the splendid beaux arts Grand Palais in…
How will Europe respond to a wave of Afghan refugees?
On Tuesday, Franek Sterczewski made a break for the border. Wearing a long trench coat and carrying a blue plastic…
American nightmare
Why would anyone move to the US?
Viktor Orbán goes to war on the European parliament
‘Times have changed, and whereas thirty years ago we believed Europe was our future, today we understand that we are…
European nations are reasserting themselves
All but the most hardened Remainer will admit that the EU’s vaccine rollout has been poor. Up against the UK’s…
The census is the latest Brexit battleground
The end of the Brexit wars have left some Remainers feeling redundant. A few are now turning their attention to a new…
The mask scandal threatening to destroy Merkel’s legacy
In Germany, masks have been one of the least controversial elements of this pandemic. Most people have accepted that they…
Barnier and France fear Brexit Britain’s next moves
Michel Barnier – still officially the EU’s Brexit taskforce leader – gives few interviews. As a Savoyard and keen mountaineer,…
