Worldcrunch
A number of international humanitarian organizations, local associations, and organizations operate within the al-Hol refugee camp in northern Syria. Most of these organizations are primarily funded by the U.S., meaning that three sectors and several community segments are directly affected by the U.S. State Department’s decision to halt foreign aid.
As the U.S. turns its back on security commitments, Germany faces one of the most profound shifts in its post-war defense policy. Can it still rely on nuclear guarantees from France and the UK? Or is it time to, finally, go nuclear?
Who are the six people behind the decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office clash with Volodymyr Zelensky? Their backgrounds are enough to raise concerns for Ukraine and Europe, which they see as relics of the past that need to be dismantled.
Washington once promoted an open, unrestricted internet, and criticized Beijing’s efforts to control its citizens’ access. But the recent “sell or ban” controversy over ByteDance’s social media platform TikTok shows that the United States may now be siding with China when it comes to digital sovereignty. Is internet freedom dead — and if so, who killed it?
Ukrainians are still processing Friday’s meeting. Donald Trump speaks about Zelensky’s “cards.” It’s as if he doesn’t realize what a war is.
Colombian writer Mauricio Restrepo Posada says U.S. President Donald Trump is not only hostile to Latin America and the Third World, but also to the entire planet, including his fellow citizens. Faced with this monster who wants to own the planet, there is little ordinary global citizens can do — except for the firm decision not to buy U.S.-exported products.
Following Volodymyr Zelensky’s Washington visit last week, Russia has started exerting more pressure on Ukraine, confident that Trump will do little to interfere. Monica Perosino reports from the Ukrainian side of the frontline.
Donald Trump has suspended U.S. military aid to Ukraine until Volodymyr Zelensky demonstrates “good faith” in negotiating with Vladimir Putin. It’s an unprecedented move with an interesting parallel with what’s happening with Israel, where the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expedited the delivery of $4 billion in military aid.
China continues to rack up diplomatic points for its largely hands-off approach to the war in Ukraine, but the “grotesque” spectacle of Trump publicly abandoning a U.S. ally in need is the ideal symbol for Beijing’s message for the rest of the world about America’s would-be leadership.
French business analysts note that for companies, like nations, the current context is decidedly VUCA: volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, to use a U.S. military strategy acronym. To succeed in Trump’s cut-throat commercial world, companies will need to acquire skills more common in matters of war and peace, than in traditional business operations..
Even his critics inside Ukraine are uniting behind Volodymyr Zelensky for standing up to U.S. President Trump and Vice President Vance to defend their nation’s interests.
Gathered in London alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, top European leaders set forth the goal to keep the U.S. engaged, even if it means swallowing their pride in the face of the disgraceful behavior of America’s top leaders.
From war zone risks to head-scratching tourists, the manipulation of the GPS navigation system by hackers (jamming and spoofing) can wreak havoc on our modern habits of relying on real-time digital mapping apps. The surest alternative may be going back to paper maps.
Our political values today matter more. Before the Oct. 7 attack and subsequent wars in Gaza and Lebanon, many of us distanced ourselves from politics, avoided political discussions and chose neutrality — only to realize that neutrality was not the best option. So how do we deal with friends and family we disagree with?
Determined to assert its sovereignty over regions still under Serbia’s illegal control, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is pushing hard to enforce the euro as its official currency — risking a dangerous escalation in a region already scarred by war and ethnic conflict.
Iran prefers the EU’s discretion and apparent respect for its ideological red lines, in contrast with Donald Trump’s ostentatious and menacing style. So the growing rift between the U.S. and EU over resolving the Ukraine-Russia war may be a welcome chance for Tehran to revive secret contacts it loves so much with an EU in search of diplomatic clout.
Poland was right to vote alongside Ukraine and other Western countries on a UN resolution this week that clearly indicated President Vladimir Putin’s Russia as the culprit in the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. But would Polish diplomats have made that same choice if the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) were in power. The election in May could see that happen.
With photographs from Nepal, Germany, Israel, China — among other places.
The imprisoned founder of the Kurdish Workers’ Party, Abdullah Ocalan, has called on his supporters to lay down their arms and dissolve the party. This peace initiative could have repercussions beyond Turkey, reaching Syria as well.
The 75,000 wholesalers in the export manufacturing hub of Yiwu say they have been moderately affected by the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which he has just announced he will double. Many had already pivoted to developing countries to sell their goods.
After walking the 50 kilometers that separate the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and the Russian border, Spanish reporter Unai Aranzadi arrives in the small village of Kozacha Lopan. Places like these are perhaps the ones where it will be most difficult to heal the wounds of all that has been suffered to date.
A special meeting of Cardinals has reportedly been scheduled, though the Vatican denies that it is linked to any announcement of the 88-year-old pontiff stepping down. Still, others ask why the Pope hasn’t at least appeared from his hospital window. In both cases, the example of his two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI hang over the question of resignation.
The German elections showed rising support for the far-right AfD, and increased dissatisfaction running rampant in German society, Polish columnist Bartosz T. Wielinski asks whether this runs the risk of history of the early 20th century repeating.
An AI-generated video shared by Donald Trump on his social network depicts the transformation of Gaza he has proposed: luxury resorts, and no Palestinians. An abomination toward the victims of the war, it also contains a depiction of Trump himself that is the seed of his own inevitable downfall.
Europeans are coming to grips with a harsh reality: The United States is no longer the guardian ensuring the continent’s security — worse, it may have even turned into an outright adversary. Nothing underscores this shift more than the U.S. vote at the United Nations on Ukraine, siding with Russia and standing against EU nations.
While Arab countries have rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza, they have yet to outline an alternative plan. It seems some have accepted the idea of searching for alternatives that align with American-Israeli desires. But this is a historic opportunity for Arab countries to prove to their peoples their ability to break free from the American orbit.
It’s as if, before our very eyes, the president of the United States were reading a script written by the Kremlin. French political analyst Dominique Moïsi, says the reversal on Ukraine is an ally’s betrayal of historical proportions.
The Left (Die Linke) and the far-right AfD party scored big in Germany’s federal election on Sunday. But their success has less to do with the fact that they offer more or less radical alternatives to other parties than in their style of political discourse — and more moderate parties would be wise to learn a thing or two from this.
Trump’s series of executive orders, from asylum laws to federal grants cuts, not only defy the U.S. Constitution, but hint to the President’s will to gather more — if not all — executive power to the point that it no longer resembles democracy.
Launched in the 1960s, USAID was effectively about exercising political control in Latin America and other countries. So why the fuss now that U.S. President Donald Trump has done away with the agency? We should be more concerned about what’s coming next.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of a “turning point” after his discussions with his U.S. counterpart at the White House on Monday. But Donald Trump did not confirm. The United States remains ambiguous, especially as, at the United Nations, it voted with Russia and against the European Union and Ukraine — an unprecedented move.
Young men showed one of the most dramatic shifts toward Donald Trump in this year’s election. But with rightward shifts among both men and women of the Gen Z demographic, the reality is reaching deeper — and farther — than most pollsters or analysts can explain.
The multi-faceted Friedrich Merz promises to be a most indecipherable head of government. Only one thing’s for certain: He is willing to take risks. It comes with serious perils, but may be exactly what Germany (and the world) needs right now.
As Russia negotiates exclusively with the U.S., Putin aims to redraw spheres of influence, pulling former Soviet states back under Moscow’s control. All of this, paradoxically, continues to leave the fate of Ukraine as the vital issue for our times.
With the downfall of the Assad regime, Algeria lost a strong ally in the Arab region. Algiers is now seeking to establish relations with the new leadership in Damascus, hoping to maintain its old alliance despite the change of regime.
It is now clear that Germany needs to invest a lot more money in defense. Friedrich Merz, who is likely to be Germany’s next chancellor, has yet to come up with a plan to do this.
In Syria, LGBTQ+ individuals are being stripped of their freedom, dignity and right to defend themselves. Only a few voices and organizations working in secrecy attempt to shed light on the violations against them in an environment that is increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to advocate for marginalized groups.
Germany’s AfD has leveraged TikTok as a key tool in its political strategy, flooding the platform with catchy, populist posts whose virality has strengthened the party’s far-right discourse among a younger demographic.
Hezbollah has emerged notably weaker from the war with Israel. The image of the protector that it had entrenched in Lebanon’s Shiite consciousness was shattered by the war in favor of an idea that calls for the Lebanese army as an alternative guardian. Yet Hezbollah is hardly fading away.
With striking shots from Rome, Riyadh, Toronto — and more.