A Jordan Bardella presidency would represent the most significant reconfiguration of executive power since the Fifth Republic’s founding. Even without a radical policy rupture, the symbolic impact on democratic norms and institutional trust would be profound, including significant risks for the EU, argues John Ryan
Deterrence is back — but not as we knew it. Once a strategy of nuclear restraint, the term is now being stretched to justify aggressive military actions, at home and abroad. Konstantin Schendzielorz argues that, as meanings shift, so do red lines. The nuclear umbrella may be turning into a very real sword
On 4 January 2026, the US announced it will leave dozens of international organisations, many of which exist to protect the climate and environment. Theresa Jedd warns that this America-first policy of international environmental isolationism is disappointing for the world, and could harm the people it claims to protect
Fadhilah Primandari and M. Ammar Hidayahtulloh reflect on the Indonesian government’s response to Sumatra's calamitous floods in November 2025. They argue that when authorities gaslight disaster victims into believing they can handle the consequences, they merely prolong and delegitimise victims’ suffering
At Davos 2026, world leaders no longer spoke as architects of a shared international order, but as actors positioning themselves amid its visible unravelling. Assertions of raw sovereignty stood alongside anxious appeals to law, values, and legitimacy. This, says Süleyman Güngör, reveals a global system drifting decisively away from rules, and towards power
Left-wing populists tend to be inclusionary and egalitarian towards ethnic minorities. But Ugo Gaudino points out that their defence of Muslim communities’ religious grievances often clashes with their secular agenda. While they may de-securitise Islam, they frame other issues and groups as urgent security threats, in line with the populist friend-versus-enemy conception of politics
Russia continues to rely on its sub-strategic nuclear arsenal, and NATO is therefore hoping in vain for sub-strategic nuclear arms control negotiations. For three decades, says Wannes Verstraete, the Alliance has merely been 'waiting for Godot'
Nelson Santos, Sofia Serra-Silva, and Tiago Silva analysed voting patterns in Portugal’s parliament. They found that the legislative behaviour of populist radical-right Chega contradicts the party’s anti-system rhetoric. Meanwhile, conflict has reached unprecedented levels in what was historically a consensual parliament
Hungary is gearing up for national elections in April 2026. The authoritarian Fidesz party – in power for over fifteen years – is campaigning hard in the online realm. Alíz Nagy puts these developments in the broader context of digital authoritarianism
Michael Asiedu argues that in Guinea and Gabon, judges are doing more than routine certification. By validating post-coup elections, courts transform military rulers into constitutional presidents — without requiring genuine democracy
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