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Geopolitics Migrant Lives Society

Our “Rebordering” World — Walls Go Up Everywhere, 35 Years After Berlin’s Came Down

November 9 marks 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Once seen as a step toward open borders, walls and fences now span a quarter of the world’s land borders today. It’s central to what’s being called the “rebordering” among nations around the world.

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

U.S. Election And Europe: Why The Era Of “Geopolitical Outsourcing” Is Over

While the Western establishment is hoping for a Kamala Harris victory, either way fundamental changes are coming to the Transatlantic relationship that Europe can no longer evade.

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This Happened

Michelangelo To A Chili Pepper — On This Day In History, November 1

The unveiling of an iconic masterpiece, a treaty that reshapes Europe, and the birthday of a Chili Pepper.

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Economy Future Geopolitics Green

Can Serbian Environmentalists Block Europe’s Richest Lithium Mine?

A $2.4 billion project to exploit lithium deposits in Serbia’s Jadar Valley could cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs. But the plan has sparked protests across the country and created an unlikely coalition of opposition, which President Aleksandar Vučić’s government has sought to suppress.

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Geopolitics

Why Iran Is So Nervous: The West Is Set To “Reorder” The Middle East For Trade Routes

Israel and the West are seeking a stabilized Middle East to shorten the trading corridor with India and Asia. It’s a win-win situation for prosperous economies and the West, but what about Tehran’s truculent regime?

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Geopolitics Ideas

The EU Army? It May Finally Be Time For Europe To Commit To A Joint Military

Russia’s annexation of Crimea, in 2014, warned Europe over a changing geopolitical scenario and the bloc’s vulnerability in terms of security. Now, the war in Ukraine has pushed EU member states to strengthen their defense policies and reopened the debate over the need for a European army.

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Future Geopolitics

Israel’s Pagers Attack Is A “9/11 Moment” For Digital Security

Even if the exploding Hezbollah pagers was not the first supply chain attack, having thousands of remote, hand-held devices raised terrifying questions that hadn’t been widely considered before, marking a potential turning point in the public’s trust in their electronic devices, and in governments’ ability to protect them.

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives

Germany’s New Border Restrictions Undermine The Very Essence Of The EU

With new border controls with its EU neighbors, Germany is once again proving that it does not trust its European partners. This puts the whole European single market project at risk.

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Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Putin Has Again Made His Intentions Very Clear — Ukraine’s Allies Must Not Blink

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutality and the escalation of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities should prompt Ukraine’s allies to demonstrate total unity and solidarity against Moscow.

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Geopolitics Ideas

France’s “Brexit Moment” — And Michel Barnier Is Just One Reason Why

French President Emmanuel Macron’s choice of new prime minister isn’t without irony. Michel Barnier negotiated Brexit’s terms with the British, who were as divided at the time as the French are today.

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Economy Future Green Green Or Gone Society special series

Germany Shows Why Electric Truck Adoption May Move Even Faster Than E-Cars

How can trucks be powered in a non-polluting way? The industry has been looking for good solutions for a long time. Now, electric trucks are gaining ground. The shift towards electric could actually happen faster than with cars.

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Geopolitics

The Far Right’s Success In Germany Adds Fuel To Three Fires Burning In The World

For the first time with a win in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) state of Thuringia, the far-right AFD party has come out on top in the regional elections. It will have long-lasting, and far-reaching, ramifications: Ukraine, Trump, French election aftermath.

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Economy Geopolitics

Why Tehran May Actually Welcome Neighboring Armenia’s EU Pivot

Armenia, under pressure from its aggressive neighbor Azerbaijan, is seeking security in closer ties with the European Union. Just next door, Iran may welcome this Western alignment if it means winning a shorter land route for exports to the Black Sea and EU markets.

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Geopolitics Ideas

The Rise Of Viktor Orbán, From Europe’s “Weird Uncle” To Trump’s BFF

The Hungarian prime minister has long been known for his conflictual relationship with the European Union. But Viktor Orbán’s recent diplomatic world tour, together with his proximity to Donald Trump, shows that he should not be underestimated.

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Geopolitics Ideas

The Leftist-Islamist Alliance Is More Dangerous Than You Know

A confounding alliance between leftists, wokism and Islamic fanatics is the perfect smokescreen for an insidious enemy targeting the West’s liberal values. It’s happened before.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Why The Labour Landslide Is A “Moral” Victory Over Brexit Lies

The landslide victory of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom is first and foremost a stinging defeat for the Conservatives, who are paying for their Brexit lies over the past eight years. An estimated 65% of Britons now believe that Brexit was a mistake. This offers lessons for other European countries.

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Geopolitics

A Far-Right Victory In France Is Simply Europe’s Worst-Case Scenario

France’s European partners fear the outcome of the upcoming snap legislative elections and its consequences for the EU. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the victory of a party “other than Marine Le Pen’s,” a sign of this growing concern.

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Green

To Save The Planet, French Farmers Are Working To Save Soil

Impoverished by decades of intensive farming, soils are losing their capacity to store carbon and retain water. Today, alternative farming methods try to offer a solution to the problem, but the results are far from ideal.

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This Happened

This Happened — June 23: Brexit Referendum

Updated June 23, 2024 at 12:10 p.m. The Brexit referendum was held on this day in 2016. The options in the referendum were “Remain” or “Leave,” giving voters the choice to either support the UK remaining in the European Union or to vote for the UK to leave the EU. What was the outcome of […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Israel-Palestine War

When Zionism Resembles Nazism — And Neo-Fascists Side With Netanyahu

Zionism shares with Nazism the claims of building what they call National Socialism, though the nationalism always takes over. There are lessons in the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest, and the current politics of the far right in Europe.

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Geopolitics

In Macron’s Election Gambit, Dark Memories Of Cameron Betting On Brexit Vote

There is a striking paradox: the European elections, which were expected to cause a seismic shift, ended in relative continuity in most places. The crisis erupted where it was least expected: in France, snap elections could have serious consequences in the whole of Europe.

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Geopolitics

Far Right Surge In Europe: A Prelude To Trump’s Victory?

Can the surge of the far right in Europe pave the way for Donald Trump’s victory in the United States in November? Or will a majority of Americans reject a convicted former president running for office? Though political patterns are hard to detect, young voters play an important role in what comes next, writes political scientist Dominique Moïsi in French business daily Les Echos.

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Geopolitics Society

Tunisia’s Crackdown On African Migrants — Straight From The President

Arrests of migrants, camp destruction operations and searches of NGO premises: since the end of April, the anti-migrant policy has taken on an unprecedented scale.

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Geopolitics Ideas

The Two Sides Of European Populism — A Threat To The Whole World

Ahead of the June’s EU elections, Europeans are deeply divided between fears of migration and of the Ukraine war, between emotion and reason. How can the EU respond in the most united and credible manner to the Russian threat?

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Geopolitics

Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia: How Russia Tries To Seep Into Europe At The Edges

Europe’s fate is also being played out in countries outside the EU, where East and West are battling for influence. In Georgia on Tuesday, the government bowed to pressure from Moscow, and passed a law on “foreign influence” modeled on a Russia law.

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Geopolitics

A Bridge To Russia — And More Railroads? Why Xi Jinping Chose Hungary And Serbia

By visiting Serbia and Hungary, two countries that will soon be linked by a railroad built and financed by China, Xi Jinping is showing that he has not given up on cultivating special friendships on the continent, even if it undermines relations with Europe’s more influential leaders.

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Economy

UK Agriculture, No Sector Has Been Hit Harder By Brexit

The UK government wants its farming sector to transition to a more sustainable model. But farmers fear the complex post-Brexit agricultural policy and lack of EU subsidies are threatening their livelihood.

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Geopolitics

Gastronomic Diplomacy: When Macron Invites Scholz To Dinner

The French President and the German Chancellor, joined by their wives, dined together in a top Parisian restaurant on Thursday evening; a “private” meal at a decisive moment for “Europe in mortal danger,” as Emmanuel Macron repeated in a new interview.

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Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

A New Ukraine? How Georgia Has Been Swept Into Russia-Europe Power Struggle

Demonstrations suppressed by the forces of order are taking place daily in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi around a draft law on “foreign interests”, considered by the protesters to be a “Russian law.” At stake is Georgia’s future, between the European Union and Putin’s Russia.

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Geopolitics

EU Enlargement 20 Years On: Lessons From Europe’s Big Bang

May 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the last large round of European enlargement, when 10 countries, mainly from the former Soviet bloc, joined the Union. Their economic successes, the war in Ukraine and their determined leaders have given these countries new weight in Brussels — and provide useful lessons, as the EU considers a new round of enlargement.

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Geopolitics Society

“Our Europe Can Die”: Macron Goes Full Alarmist On Existential Threat To The EU

In an ominous speech in Paris, the French president warned that Europe is in mortal danger. Macron also suggested he may be just the man to save it.

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Economy Geopolitics

What Record Spending On Weapons Means In A World Where The Next War May Be Virtual

Governments spent 2.3 trilllion euros on the military, a 6% increase over 2022, the highest growth recorded in over a decade. This is the first time spending jumps were registered on all five continents, and not just countries at war. What does it say about this inflection point in history?

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Economy Future

Welcome To Vilnius, A New Silicon Valley Rising In Moscow’s Backyard

Home to the unicorn Vinted, Lithuania’s capital is fostering its image as a Northern European tech hub and cultural capital, in an effort to attract new businesses and talents — despite its cold weather and two difficult neighbors: Russia and Belarus.

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Society

Wolves, Ancient Predator And Symbol Of France’s Rural-Urban Divide

For the past 30 years, the number of wolves has steadily increased in France — great news for biodiversity but not for farmers, who are accusing the predator of attacking and killing their livestock. The topic, which has become explosive, is symbolic of a very contemporary divide in the country.

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Geopolitics Israel-Palestine War

Palestine, The Nation? Israel’s War Accelerates Recognition Of Palestinian Statehood

Spain is leading the way on European recognition of the state of Palestine. Ireland, Malta and Slovenia have also signed a joint statement asserting readiness to recognize the warring region. Will other European Union countries follow suit?

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Geopolitics

With Russia’s Backing, Serbia Eyes The “Right Time” For A New War With Kosovo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic cooperates closely with Russia, including on security and arms issues. Now he is threatening to invade Kosovo, which Serbia does not recognize as an independent country. If Donald Trump were to win, and NATO to weaken, Vucic may be ready to move.

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Geopolitics

Ukrainophobia In Poland: Why A New Government In Warsaw Can’t Quell The Conflict

After a short “honeymoon period” that followed the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian-Polish relations have once again entered a state of permanent crisis. Strong words against Russia at the UN by Polish Foreign Minister were appreciated, but long-term relations between Kyiv and Warsaw are bound to be more complicated.

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Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Two Years On, Europeans Have Lost Faith In A Ukrainian Victory

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, results of a survey suggest that only one European out of ten thinks that Ukraine will come out of this war with a victory. While their support has not shifted towards Russia, the poll results give an insight into how fatigue is playing in citizens’ minds — and what European governments have to put up with if they want to continue supporting an expensive war.

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Geopolitics Israel-Palestine War Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine To Gaza, India’s Foreign Policy Is Cold Self-Interest — Not Post-Colonial Leadership

In not condemning Russia and openly siding with Israel, India’s foreign policy establishment is merely jettisoning the thin layer of politically-expedient, feel-good idealistic post-colonialism that veils an iron-fisted pragmatism.

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Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

The Two-Year Mark: What World War I (1916) Teaches Us About The Ukraine War (2024)

There are many analogies between 1916 and 2024, two years into World War I and the War in Ukraine respectively. It offers a clear way to try to understand what may happen next in Ukraine — and the world.

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