Worldcrunch
Talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire — and with it, the release of hostages and prisoners — kick off today as the Israeli prime minister arrives in Washington. His meeting with Donald Trump tomorrow could be a turning point, deciding between peace or war in the months ahead.
The American president had promised tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese products. For now, it will be only 10%. Washington has other issues to negotiate with Beijing. Hitting old allies harder is part of a much different approach.
The post-liberal world needs an added dose of cautious and realistic diplomacy, and the United States remains its natural promoter. Yet there is little evidence, for now, that the Trump administration has an interest in diplomacy to keep the collective peace.
In another sign of changing power relations in the ‘post-Western’ world, the BRICS group of emerging economies could frustrate the United States’ bid to sink communism in Cuba by strangling its economy.
Donald Trump has spoken little about China since becoming president, leaving both Beijing and Taiwan’s leaders on edge. And Trump’s maneuverings on Greenland are not a good sign.
February 3 – February 9, 2025
The Trump administration sought to slash social aid in the U.S. but had to backtrack amid public outcry. However, it froze international humanitarian and development aid for 90 days, sparking confusion and panic in many affected countries and organizations. It is just the kind of narrative Beijing and Moscow are happy to spin across the world.
The newly inaugurated U.S. president is missing the real strategic and economic value of the island, which is ultimately linked to world’s ability to reduce global warming.
Europeans can never win if they face the relentless force of Donald Trump alone. With his sights fixed on Denmark, which controls Greenland, and the looming threat of tariffs, Trump is putting the rest of Europe to the test.
A Chinese startup is shaking the U.S. supremacy in generative artificial intelligence. Are we heading towards a collapse of barriers to entry accelerating the deployment of this technology? Could Europe offer a third way to the future?
The Indian middle class has a stake in the West’s future and must pick a side in its culture wars. The BJP should catch-up on MAGA’s long-term implications.
Funding for planetary defense has long had strong bipartisan support both inside and outside of U.S. Congress. But with the change of administration, could it be under threat?
As a candidate, Donald Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine within his first 24 hours in office — a deadline the US president has now missed. Even so, negotiations to end the three-year conflict are expected to accelerate. What are Russia, Ukraine and the United States’ current positions? And what do experts think will happen?
Donald Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dates back to his first term as president. After his second inauguration, his first phone call was to the prince, who has pledged $600 billion in investments in the United States during Trump’s presidency.
Among the images, are photos from Thailand, Gaza, Turkey, Japan — among other places.
With the global rise of the far-right, many Germans are afraid that the past is about to repeat itself. German writer Florian Illies explains the trap about such analogies — even as other dangers lurk.
Janurary 27 – February 2, 2025
President Donald Trump has expressed several times his desire to make Greenland a part of the U.S. by purchasing it from Denmark. What determines the price of a country?
The bulldozer approach Donald Trump has deployed since his inauguration on Monday discards an American foreign policy approach in place since 1945. Who will survive, particularly in Europe, a purely transactional U.S. President?
To the German author, watching Elon Musk stretching his right arm out at a Trump political rally could mean only one thing. The Neo-Nazis agree. But what is the billionaire’s real game? A view from Die Zeit on the Hitler Salute outrage.
Both Russia and Ukraine are waiting to see what stance the new U.S. president and his administration will take on the war and aid to Kyiv. Within Russia’s pro-war factions, some are eagerly anticipating a potential shift in U.S. policy. But regardless of Washington’s decisions, Ukraine’s main allies are those ensuring Moscow’s military is corrupt and inefficient.
A vast majority of newspapers from around the world have chosen to devote their front pages to the comeback of Donald Trump, who took the oath of office on Monday.
Just hours after taking office, Donald Trump signed his first presidential decrees, the well-known Executive Orders, swiftly advancing parts of his ultra-conservative agenda on issues like the Mexican border, immigration, and climate policy. His goal: to make a strong impression and neutralize any opposition.
Mexico must dial down the nationalism in dealing with Donald Trump, and try to think instead how it might use his intransigence to solve some of its biggest problems — like massive, unchecked crime.
Donald Trump declares a shift in the world order established in 1945, prioritizing force over law and rejecting multilateralism. This marks a significant upheaval for the rest of the world, particularly for America’s allies, starting with a severely weakened Europe.
Donald Trump’s reelection has sent shockwaves through much of the world. Yet, surprisingly, many overseas Chinese — and even citizens within China — have openly celebrated his comeback. How does such admiration align with his openly anti-China rhetoric?
In the past, the Monroe Doctrine has pushed the United States to meddle in hemispheric affairs to strangle Soviet and communist subversion. Will incoming President Donald Trump revive this 19th-century U.S. foreign policy position to keep China out? And what would that mean for other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
In his final address to the nation, just days before his departure, U.S. President Joe Biden warned against the emergence of a “tech-industrial complex” that threatens democracy; a charge against tech barons, including Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, who have pledged allegiance to incoming President Donald Trump.
Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States — with an important role played by Donald Trump — along with Qatar and Egypt. It’s a relief to families of hostages and Palestinians in Gaza but also raises the question of the “day after,” which remains unwritten.
Will America become revisionist, unilateralist and expansionist under Donald Trump’s second term? In the early 1970s, French philosopher Raymond Aron spoke of the United States as an “imperial republic,” Now, in 2025, there is potentially much less “republic,” and much more “imperialism.”
With a growing number of far-right victories in Western democracies, many individuals have begun idealizing Poland as “the ideal combination of capitalism and tradition.” What are the origins of the conservative fascination with Poland, and is it even true?
Greenland, Canada and Panama: Why is Donald Trump using maps for his politics? And what does Elon Musk’s Nazi-loving grandfather have to do with mapped utopias?
A ceasefire could happen any moment now in Gaza, with Donald Trump’s surrogates playing a key role in softening Benjamin Netanyahu. The president-elect wants to reenter the White House having already ended a conflict, even if nothing is actually resolved for the long term.
The incoming Trump administration will likely abandon its predecessor’s efforts to persuade the Iranian regime to change its disruptive and violent policies. Yet for ultimate survival, Tehran may be counting on an unexpected factor: Trump’s erratic mindset.
Europeans expected to deal with the return of Donald Trump, but now face both Trump and Elon Musk, who continue to make provocative statements. Yet the EU is divided, with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni going her own way and positioning herself as Trump’s main interlocutor in Europe.
Elon Musk is hosting Alice Weidel in an interview on X, having tried to convince the American tech billionaire she’s not an extremist. But who is Weidel, really? She’s described the Germans as “slaves” of the U.S. and quotes the infamous text of a nationalist philosopher that is a dog-whistle for the far right in Germany.
The release of journalist Cecilia Sala from Iranian prison after 21 days is a triumph of diplomacy and urgency, orchestrated by the Italian Prime Minister herself. Meloni used an urgent meeting with Donald Trump to help unlock the negotiations.
Its scenery is breathtaking, but there are also more strategic reasons that incoming President Donald Trump is pushing to force Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump refused to rule out the use of force to seize Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, and his eldest son arrived in the territory. He’s also been threatening land grabs from his neighbors. Is this for real?
Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, and Olaf Scholz have all responded in the past few days to Elon Musk statements siding with Europe’s far right. Among top European leaders, U.S. tech billionaire seems to only have eyes for Italy’s Giorgia Meloni.