Mimi Mihăilescu
The once steady alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has now become a bitter feud. It has transformed what should be serious political discourse into a social media spectacle that perfectly encapsulates our current democratic crisis. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that American democracy is crumbling into a grotesque theatre where the world's most powerful men treat governance like a reality show Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
Donald Trump's trade tariffs to fund his 'Big Beautiful Bill' are intended to forge business deals that serve only his own interests. But Albrecht Rothacher warns that for ordinary Americans, the tariffs will cause price hikes on essential goods such as fuel and medicine, and the resulting inflationary surge may well damage Trump's prospects in next year's midterms Read more
Meray Maddah
World leaders' first foreign trips reveal more than diplomatic protocol. They are carefully crafted political stories. Meray Maddah and Max Heermann analyse inaugural diplomatic journeys to uncover stability and change in global networks from Europe’s deep political integration to Trump’s break from traditional allies and Netanyahu’s pivot to Jordan Read more
Yunus Poblome
Right-wing populism has gone beyond the nation state. Analysing JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Yunus Poblome describes how US foreign policy under Trump depicts Europe as being led by a corrupt elite which refuses to listen to its conservative people. This, he argues, further legitimise Europe’s own right-wing populists Read more
Mimi Mihăilescu
In May, Romanian reality star Teodora Marcu was shot dead by her former partner. Thousands marched in protest, but the state remained silent. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that Romania’s democracy, which has long excluded women from power, must confront the systems that render women's deaths predictable and politically acceptable Read more
Ruairidh Brown
Does military intervention against Iran contradict Trump’s America First ideology? Ruairidh Brown argues it, in fact, is a textbook case of Trump’s Machiavellian philosophy Read more
July Decarpentrie
Think Paris agrees on how to handle its nuclear weapons? You are mistaken. July Decarpentrie examines French nuclear strategic debate from 1972 to the present. She argues that what appears to be a continuous doctrine is in fact shaped by ongoing debates to ensure its relevance over time and across changing geopolitical contexts Read more
Valentina Cassar
Valentina Cassar examines the motivations for US-Russian diplomacy and arms control in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape. What role do these countries' nuclear postures play in sustaining their international primacy? China, certainly, will play a key part, while the outcomes will influence all states in the broader nuclear order Read more