Kaweh Kerami
Kaweh Kerami argues that the Taliban’s first visit to Brussels was not recognition, as the EU insists, but something politically consequential all the same: proof that repeated contact can hand an unrecognised regime real standing, one technical meeting at a time Read more
Anya Kuteleva
In June 2026, US far right figures and manosphere influencers appeared at Russian state-linked events and in military propaganda. These moments, argues Anna Kuteleva, reveal a mutually beneficial alliance: Russia offers legitimacy, platforms, and refuge, while the anti-gender right normalises authoritarianism by recasting it as culture war Read more
Marius Bales
Marius Bales and Max Mutschler argue that precision weapons do not protect civilians. Indeed, in autocratic systems, they can make civilian suffering more targeted. In eroding democracies such as Israel and the US, weakening checks on executive power may also loosen military restraint Read more
Ilan Kapoor
As states adapt through alternative trade networks, shadow fleets, and new payment systems, Ilan Kapoor reveals how sanctions increasingly impose costs without securing political compliance Read more
Dennis Shen
For decades, Europe prospered under American security guarantees, open trade and cheap external imports. That world is disappearing. Faced with a more antagonistic United States, a rising China and global geopolitical competition, Dennis Shen says the EU must either become a strategic power in its own right – or risk longer-term decline Read more
Taylan Utku Düzgün
Taylan Düzgün argues that Turkish–Russian coordination in Syria has never reflected a true strategic alliance. Instead, both sides have developed limited forms of cooperation to contain escalation while pursuing fundamentally incompatible goals. The Syrian conflict shows how rivalry and coordination increasingly coexist in contemporary international politics Read more
Murat Aktaş
Ursula von der Leyen’s move to group Türkiye with Russia and China jeopardises the EU’s new security architecture. Murat Aktaş warns that treating an official EU candidate and ally as an 'excluded partner' is a strategic miscalculation. This deepening crack between rhetoric and reality creates an ontological crisis, threatening the credibility of the enlargement policy Read more
Marta Kołczyńska
Political trust can shape the trajectory of democracy writes Marta Kołczyńska, but its effects are conditional, uneven, and increases in trust may sometimes even be conducive to democratic decline rather than renewal Read more
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept.
▼
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.
▼
Analytics Cookies
Google Analytics
We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work please see our Privacy Notice.
