Sonja Priebus argues that the key to Péter Magyar’s landslide victory lay in the incumbent regime’s vulnerability. Magyar’s emergence on the political scene in 2024 caused a crack in the system, and triggered a shift in expectations that enabled Tisza’s victory
Donald Trump’s forthcoming visit to Beijing in May follows trips by Canada’s Mark Carney, the UK’s Keir Starmer, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz. The agreements reached, says Dominika Remžová, reflect not only the interests of political elites but also how economic structures shape each country’s China policy
Aikerim Bektemirova analysed 120 posts on the social media platform ‘Threads’, focusing on Kazakhstan’s March referendum. Her findings reveal that critical narratives spread further than supportive ones. Here, she argues that digital platforms amplify emotional and confrontational content, creating unbalanced online political debate
On 28 January 2026, Roza Roovers, Hassan Naderi Far and Gigi Maria Massaro spoke with Lithuanian security expert Margarita Šešelgytė. With global power balance in flux, Šešelgytė suggests that many traditional assumptions in international relations theory no longer explain today’s security environment
Chile has elected extreme-right candidate José Antonio Kast as its new president. His victory, argues Anitta Kynsilehto, may reflect a broader process of rewriting political memory in the post-dictatorship era, suggesting that Chileans' memories of 'never again' moments are beginning to fade
Europe’s support for the US-Israeli war on Iran, in the hope of securing American backing for Ukraine, is a strategic mistake, argues Shamsoddin Shariati. Rather than buying goodwill in Washington, European leaders are undermining their own security, credibility, and strategic autonomy
Endre Borbáth argues that Tisza’s breakthrough in Hungary was not simply the product of anti-incumbent anger or Péter Magyar’s personal appeal. It rested on a combination of cross-cutting grievances, participatory organisation, and intensive campaigning that turned a new party into a credible vehicle for regime change
Last week we awarded our annual £500 prize for the best Loop blog piece in the previous calendar year, as judged by an independent jury. Here, Managing Editor Kate Hawkins presents the longlisted pieces — and revels who has taken this year's top spot
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